>> we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> hello. how are you? >> thanks. >> thank you, guys. thank you. how are you? >> good. >> one of the few the democrats could pick up. any thoughts? >> start with telling their stories. what can be done? >> thank you again. >> thanks, guys. had a real race in a while. >> outside money -- in arkansas? >> a bad idea. but it is ok to put a for-sale sign.

was a good driver, wasn't he? [laughter] >> and he is a really good governor. i think we have a chance there. it is the same thing everywhere. all the places are close enough. everything shows up. more important, polling data or baby names? baby names? >> what is your favorite baby name? >> i do not have too much influence over either one. ♪

>> ♪ where the green grass grows ♪ ♪ ♪

home" bys you can't go bon jovi plays] ♪

>> welcome, everyone. [applause] 37th steak fry. imagine, 37 steak fries and we haven't tried the steak yet. the grillers always wanted to talk about that. know that iou to have a better winning streak than 40 years. in the congress. i have love -- of love and partnership with a wonderful woman by the name of ruth harkin. [applause] go on, get up, ruth.

of course, all of you know the story, but what the hack, i will say it again. better me saying it than someone else. we both ran for office together in 1972. i ran for congress. ruth ran for county attorney. the best politician one. [laughter] i'll give you a hint, it wasn't me. countys the only woman attorney in iowa and the only democrat in the story county courthouse. [applause] she actually did so well at that job that when i ran two years later, a lot of people were saying -- well, you know, if she's that good, he can't be all that bad. [laughter] that's how i got elected. after serving as county

attorney, she left a great legacy. here it is. before she was county attorney there had never, never been the democratic county attorney in the county. she left there has never been a republican county attorney. [applause] ruth went on to have a distinguished career to head the overseas private investment corporation. [applause] through it all, a great mother to our two daughters, now a wonderful grandmother to our three grandchildren. thishat a hell of a crowd is. this is great. my gosh. sarah palin said it is so good that she can see you all in alaska today. [laughter] [applause]

to think, you all came here just to see me. [cheers and applause] [laughter] no, wait a minute. who am i kidding? isn't it wonderful, a joy and an honor, to have president clinton and hillary clinton here for this steak fry. [applause] we have always thought of these steak fries as a sort of gathering of the democratic plans around the state of iowa. energizing as for the election. it is kind of like a big family. over the years, both bill and hillary have become a part of our iowa democratic family.

[applause] they have been in our homes, broken bread with us, they have .een our inspiration when bill clinton ran for president, one of you remember he was dubbed the it. i have a new phrase. they are now the comeback couple in america. [applause] before i go any further, i got some thank you's to say. first of all, last night we had a reunion of over 250 staffers. people who work for me from 1972 through -- through this time. great.re just it was wonderful to see so many people who had worked so hard to advance our progressive causes and take good care of the people of iowa.

so often i get thanks, i get awards and that kind of stuff or the good things we have done for iowa. but it is the staff who have done the hard work and got the job done. so, today i want to give credit where it is due. all of my staffers across all of these years. thank you. [applause] i know they are all here. i don't know exactly where they all are, but they are all here. thank you very much. i want to thank scott brennan for being a great state chair of the democratic party. [applause] wife, were both staffers of mine. it, half the of democrats in iowa have been on my staff one time or another, now that i think about it.

but he is doing a great job for our stake artie. -- state party. he did so great as senator and governor, but for 40 years i have been on the agriculture committee on house and the senate. i have seen a lot of secretaries and go,ulture come they've all been good. that's all right. but i have to tell you that the one we have now has taken the department of agriculture and notched it up higher than any for ours ever done, farmers, consumers, and the kids in school who are eating better meals because of tom vill sack. [applause]

i want to thank joy for being my -- i want to thank joy, my interpreter for over 20 years. thank you, joy. [applause] she used to do a lot of interpreting for my brother, frank, for so many years. i want to thank the ground crews, who spent yesterday and so many others setting up. they have done it every year for years. don ruby, john kaiser, and don rice whack. thank you, thank you, thank you. [applause] i was down there yesterday and they were hammering, drilling, getting all of this stuff done and jerry said to me, sweat dripping down his face -- drilling, putting names and --

putting males and things, he doing this again. i told him neither am i. [laughter] men are grillers, the ones that --lled steaks, not try them not try them. thank you. at the risk of sending just one person out, at the risk i will do it. on my staff for 20 years the one person who has been in charge of the steak fries, making sure that they get stat up and that all of this stuff is done is pam. i don't know where she is right now. where are you? she has worked so hard on this for over 20 years.

she has just worked her heart out on these. for the most important thank you of all, as we all know i'm in the home stretch of my final term for the united states senate. i have beenecades able to do some good things. like authoring and passing the americans with disabilities act. [applause] mr. president, there is an old saying that i bet is true in oo, if you are

driving down a country road and you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you can be sure of one thing, it didn't get there by itself. clear, i didn't do it by myself. every single one of you empowered me. that you knocked on, every dollar you raise in my campaigns, empowered me to do those things. again, i stand on the shoulders of giants. you. my fellow democrats. my fellow iowans. you put your trust in me. you work your hearts out for me. you stood by me when things got tough. sometimes things got pretty tough. imagined thathave

this would be my life. think about it. as a young boy growing up in warren county, just a few miles from here, a town of 150 people, my father had a sixth-grade education. my mother was an immigrant. they raised six kids in a small, two-bedroom house. we didn't know politicians. we didn't talk politics. -- when my this family hit rock-bottom during the depression -- just a few months before i was born, my dad was out of work, he had been mining coal for most of his life . there was no work, there were no jobs. he had five kids with another on the way -- me. life looked pretty dim. life looked pretty hopeless.

but then one day he got a card in the mail. he always later said that he got a card from franklin delano or roosevelt himself. he got a card in the mail for him to report to work at once for $40.30 per month on the works project administration. [laughter] [applause] [applause] the project was over here not 10 miles from where we are today. people are still using that lake as a recreation area. wall't have and i love me in my office, but i do have my wpa card ondads that wall to remind me of where i came from and who i should be fighting for in this country.

[applause] so, that job gave him dignity. gave money to put food on the table. most importantly of all, it gave him hope. hope. it gave him hope. after a few years of that, he was able to then work her in the war years, paid enough for social security. later on before he passed away he got medicare. from all ofearn that? growing up, never talking politics or anything like that? what did i learn? with the right people in office, with the right words and the willingness to work, our government can do good things for people in this country. [applause]

it can help to give hope to people. old george w. bush, president bush, he went around campaigning saying the government cannot give hope to people. one time one of his people was in my office and said -- harken, you've got to admit, government can do these kinds of things. can't give hope to people. i said -- you are talking to the wrong person. hope, gave myher family hope. since i have gotten into politics i have always believed that a cardinal obligation of our government is to make sure that we leave the latter down for others to climb, do. you know? [applause] there is nothing wrong with making money, having a better

home and a nicer car, all the good things that money provides. that's a big part of the american dream. but here's what distinguishes us from our republican cousins. we believe, you tonight, president clinton, hillary, bruce, jack, dave, we all believe that when you climb that ladder of success, when you get to the top, when we get to the top, one of the primary functions of government is to make sure that believe the latter down for others to climb, two. --too. [applause] you see, the rungs have to be there. the rungs have to be there. things like maternal and child health care programs. good education, great teachers,

good public schools, pell grants, good things for students. sometimes people fall off the latter. they get sick, they have an illness, they get injured. that's why we have disability insurance. have joby we retraining programs to get you back up and going again, a safety net to catch you when you fall. [applause] ago this summer, 24 years ago there were about 20 million americans that no matter how hard they tried, could never climb the ladder. americans with disabilities. what did we do? we built a ramp. we taught -- we call it the americans with disabilities act.

[applause] not one, there is nickel or dime in that bill given to a person with a disability. down theid was -- tear barriers and the people with disabilities can do it on their own. but break down the barriers. [applause] it has changed the face of america. . want to thank you you gave me the opportunity to play that role. you empowered me to make a difference. i can never properly thank you. i just want you to know how grateful i am. i have done my best to carry forward the populace, progressive manner of fighting for working people in this country. and fighting for people who didn't get a fair shake.

the least, the lost, and the left behind. you empowered me to do. to fight for them. say that i know that over the last 40 years you probably don't agree with every vote i have cast. i don't think that i agree with every vote i cast, looking back. [laughter] i just hope and trust that in my 40 years, 10 in the house, 30 in the senate, that i have been able to represent you in the way that you wanted to be represented, with the highest ideals of our democratic party and the highest aspirations of the people of iowa. if i have done that, i leave as a very satisfied man. applause]d thank you.

now, i may be retiring from the senate, but i'm not retiring from the fight, i will tell you that. [cheers and applause] this week i will be leading the charge once again to increase the minimum wage in america. we've got to get it done. [applause] the republicans are probably going to filibuster it again. well, if they won't let us pass it in the congress, we will take them on in the polls and we will show them what the people of america want in november when we give them a good whipping. [applause] i want to say this -- if you want to thank me for my service, there is really only one way i

want you to do that. seatsure that this senate remains in good, fighting, progressive fans with congressman bruce braley being the next senator from the state of iowa. [applause] so, we have to have a government that works for the middle class, that leaves the latter down and gives hope and opportunity to people. president clinton knew this in 1992. he said he would build a bridge to the 21st century. guess what? he did. he build the bridge. 22 million new jobs. 8 million lifted out of poverty. shared prosperity around the country. he knew that everyone should take part in economic gains. [applause]

my friend paul used to say that we all do better when we all do better. since president clinton left the office in 2001, republicans have been determined to tear the bridge down. they have replaced it with a bridge to nowhere. i call it the bridge backwards to inequality in this country not seen since the 1920's. let's be clear, the people of violent don't want to go backward. we don't want a tea party senator. [boos] who says she wants to repeal the clean air act, privatize social security, and the vouchers for medicare. [boos] friends, she is known for what she does the hogs. [laughter] -- does to hogs.

[laughter] but i've got to tell you that what scares me is what she wants to do to people. [applause] especially working people, students and seniors. she says she is going to go to washington to make them squeal. but the last thing that we need in the u.s. senate is another tea parties, who mocks people, refuses to compromise, and gets nothing done for iowa. [applause] we don't need another bridge burner in the senate. we need a bridge builder. well grounded in their philosophy, a good progressive philosophy, who understands you have got to get things done. who respects the views of those with whom we may disagree. we need a senator from iowa with a proven record of reaching

across the aisle to get things done. no one has done a better job of building bridges and getting things done than congressman bruce braley. [applause] a lot of folks, a lot of folks ask me if i am going to miss the senate. yes, i am. i love my work. i love my job. i even love the senate, even with all its dysfunctions. but 40 years is long enough for anyone to serve in the congress. there comes a time to gracefully bow out and make room for a new generation of leaders. i am thrilled to think that this next january 3 at noon, i will be able to walk down the center aisle of the senate and passed the torch to senator bruce braley. [applause]

since we are going to be here in iowa, i would like to have a governor that represents me in the same progressive way as governor phil sack. that's why we have to elect jack hatch is our next governor. [applause] folks, since ruth and i live in wharton county, in the third district, in this district i want to be represented on the first iowa woman to ever serve the u.s. congress, staci appel. stacy, right here. we are in her district. [applause] jim, for his past service to our nation in a rack, thank you

for your future service in getting steve king out of congress and getting you in there. where is he? right there. [applause] i can't speak too highly of our candidate in the first district. pat murphy was an outstanding speaker of the house and with our help you will replace bruce braley. right here, from dubuque. [applause] , i haveecond district never seen anyone work as hard as dave. he is out there constantly, all the time. i know he is going to get reelected. join me in thanking dave for his great service and for winning this next election and continuing his service in the congress. [applause] well, this can all happen, but

we need your help. we need you to volunteer. when you leave here today, help us to get the absentee ballots in. if democrats who voted in the last election vote this time, we win. we just got to get the votes in. join me in showing the koch brothers and the tea party the democratic people power in iowa will whip them every time. [applause] so, friends. i know you are eager to hear from our special guests. i mentioned bill clinton's abridged to the 21st century and how it is being replaced with a bridge that goes backwards. well, i have to close my remarks with my signature closing. at the 2000d by me national convention in los

angeles. what is atsks you stake in this election, or what the election is all about, the only thing you need to tell them is this -- everything that you needed to know about the selection, you learned in drivers education. we learn in drivers education? we learned that if you want to r. backwards, you put it in o [applause] folks., come on. if you want to go forward, put it in d. [applause] alright, on with the show.

you had the steak, now it's time for some sizzle. i can't think of two people better equipped to do that than bill and hillary clinton. [applause] i have been struck this weekend by the fact that most of the hubbub and spotlight has been focused on hillary rather than build. [applause] i am reminded, back when president kennedy was president, and he went to france and jacqueline accompanied him and she got all the press and everything. when he was introduced he said he wanted to introduce himself, the person that accompanied jacqueline kennedy to friends -- france. [applause] feel a bitt bill may like that now. i know he loves the sizzle. [applause]

let me say this about our former first lady, form a set that former senator, and secretary of state, hillary clinton. when she was in the white house and the senate, no one thought -- fought morely passionately for health reform. hillary came to the senate as a rock star. after 9/11 she was a rock of gibraltar for all of those people and their families in new york city who suffered after 9/11. i was privileged to serve her of her on the health and education committee for eight years. we worked together on a lot of things. one of the things she always worked on was advancing this concept, this idea that health care should be a right and not a

privilege in this country. [applause] so, hillary was not there when the affordable care act was signed into law, she was of course secretary of state, but you should all know that her fingerprints were all over that legislation. it would not have happened but for her strenuous advocacy in that committee all those years she was there to get a health care bill passed in congress. [cheers and applause] course, you know, in history she is the first first lady ever elected to the united states senate. as secretary of state -- my goodness, what a great job. played a central role in

restoring america's image and power around the world. she stressed the smart power of american diplomacy. she put human rights back on the a baric and foreign-policy agenda. -- american foreign-policy agenda. and as much as i have traveled around the world, i can tell you that historic speech that she gave in beijing in 1995 at the women's international summit telling you that it reverberates around the globe today because she said it so poignantly. women's rights are human rights around the world. [applause] well, i will bring her up by saying this -- a great friend, a

wonderful public servant -- dedicated. this is what i said to my her book, iowa -- hard choices, i see a lot of you got it, it's a great look. read it. there are 25 chapters in that book. i am here to tell you that there are many more chapters to be written in the amazing life of hillary clinton. [applause] >> thank you so much. >> avail they are. my gosh. hillary'] ' >> well, hello, iowa. i'm back. applause]d

we are all here to thank tom and ruth for their decades of service to our nation. for their generosity, their optimism, their unflagging energy, and their passion. i want to thank emmy -- amy, jenny, and the entire family for sharing, and ruth with all of us for all of those years. [applause] is also great to be with a lot of friends. i see some special friends, tom and christie, and i heartily echo what tom harkin said about

tom's service as secretary of agriculture. he and i worked together. he really likes my book because he is in it. but i also want to thank christie for her service. she is carrying that forward, continuing to work on feed the future and a lot of the programs that tom and i thought -- pioneered together. it does really feel just like yesterday when i was last here at the harkin steak fry. our as my husband prefers to call it now, the stirfried. [laughter] as i recall, there was a young senator from illinois here at the same time. i wonder whatever happened to him.

it has been 70 years and a lot has changed. senator obama became president obama. and to my great surprise, he asked me to join his team as a member of his cabinet. rivals the partners to friends. sometimes we would even reminisce a little bit about old days. let me tell you, he sure loves iowa. [applause] now, when tom harkin called and asked me to come, i have to admit that i wasn't sure what to say. i've got a few things on my mind the days. [massive cheering and applause] first and most importantly, bill

and i are on constant grandchild watch. [applause] i am calling chelsea every five minutes to make sure that things are going alright. in the big moment comes, you can bet that i will drop everything to be there in a flash, so i'm telling you now, if ucs sprinting off the stage, that's why. of course, there's another thing. [applause] [cheering] well, it is true, i am thinking about it. [cheers and applause] but for today that is not why i am here. ['awws'] i am here for the steak. [laughter] was moreyears, i

likely to be eating yak meat in mongolia, having a great time doing it, but thinking a lot about being back home. i am here first and foremost for tom, for ruth, and for the great candidates that you had the chance to elect. for bruce braley, jack hatch, and monica, his running mate, for staci appel, jim, pat murphy, all of the great candidates that are bearing the democratic party standard. [applause] think about it. in just 50 days, iowans have a choice to make. and a chance. a choice between the guardians of gridlock and the champions of shared opportunity and shared prosperity. a chance to elect leaders who

will carry on the heart -- the legacy of tom harkin, of fighting for hard-working families. a chance to elect a governor who the economy should work for everyone. a chance to elect a senator who knows that women should be able to make our own health care decisions. [cheers and applause] and that -- [cheers and applause] and that, believe it or not, equal pay should mean that you get equal pay for equal work.

[cheers and applause] so, although it's wonderful we're all here to salute tom, ruth, and for bill and me to come back to be with you, i know there are a lot of other things you could be doing on this beautiful afternoon. there are errands to run, kids to watch, television to catch up on. but you're here to. you are here because something or someone inspired you to get off the sidelines. to do your part to strengthen the basic bargain of america. you know what it is. you are or where you come from, if you work hard and play by the rules, you deserve the opportunity, the same opportunity as anyone else, to build a good life for yourself and your family. harkin, that spark was

>> for tom, that spark was lit just 20 miles from here in that small town in iowa. for ruth, it was a small farming town in minnesota. the coal miners son and the school temper's daughter learned that the only direction that matters in life is forward. and they also learned to never quit, never lose faith, never stop fighting for others and when you get knocked down, get right back up. so that's why they are champions for families fighting to get into the middle class and those

fighting to stay there, for children, for veterans, for farmers, for people with disabilities, in fact, for all of us. and by the way, if you need any further evidence for how important control of the senate tually is, look no further than tom's efforts to help us pass the global treaty on the rights of people with disabilities. as secretary of state, working with the president, we made the case that this was a tribute to the united states because it was based on the land marc legislation, the americans with disabilities act. it was one of tom's finest accomplishments. but unfortunately, a handful of republican senators stood in the way despite empassioned please

from people with disabilities from across our country, including their own former leader, war hero bob dole. so don't let anyone tell you that it really doesn't matter. throughout his career, tom has gotten results by finding common ground where he could and standing his ground when he should. good jobs, higher wages, better schools, a cleaner environment, civil right rs, quality affordable healthcare, tom has fought for them all. now i served in the senate with him for eight years. as he said, we were on the same committee. i know how hard he worked and i know how effective he was getting things done for iowa and for america. how did he do it? well, there is a story told

about tom that i think is pretty telling. one of his neighbors from coming said when he was young, tom was pitching hay on a nearby farm to make a little extra money for his family. he was up on a truck catching the bails and suddenly he lost his balance and fell. everyone froze. when tom got up, everybody there said he should just call it a day. but not tom. instead, he dusted himself off, climbed right back up on that truck and got back to work. now i grew up in a middle class family outside of chicago. very different from where tom was raised. but when i got to know tom and ruth, i recognized in them the same values that i learned from my own parents.

my mother had a childhood that none of us would want, abandonned and mistreated first by her parents and then by her grandparents. so she had to start working when she was 14. but she overcame all that she faced. and became a wonderful mother to me and my brothers and she channeled her own struggles into a deep conviction that there is worth and dignity in every human being, that everyone matters. that everyone deserves not just a chance, but a second chance and even a third chance to keep going and to make something of hemselves. that was one of the most important lessons of my life and

i know it was for tom and ruth as well. they've never forgotten where they came from, who they are and what they want to do, to open doors and put that ladder up fur others. they've actually lived that lesson. tom keeps score in politics the same way that bill and i do. we ask ourselves, are people better because of your efforts? do children have brighter futures? do we find ways to work together instead of being apart and divided? one of the reasons this election is so important is because in washington there is too little cooperation and too much conflict. and when it comes to moving america forward, we know what it takes. we've seen it. we've seen it in tom, we've seen it in bill clinton and we've .een it in barack obama

under president obama's leadership our country is on the road to recovery. now here in iowa, for example, exports are up, for farmers they are way up, unemployment is down, down more than 25% since 2009 to just 4.5% this summer. enewable energy production has quadrupled in iowa which means more jobs and a cleaner environment. and thanks to the r to the affordable care act, insurance companies have been forced to refund more than $1.7 million to iowa families. but for all the progress we've

made, president obama and the rest of us will be quick to say we still have a lot of work to do. because it used to be that when productivity went up, wages went up. people could actually see all of that in their paychecks and feel it in their wallets. today you know so well american families are working harder than ever but maintaining a middle class life feels like pushing a boulder up hill every single day. that is not how it's supposed to be in america. this is the country remember where if you work hard, you can make it. and each generation has done a little better than the one before. that's who we've always been and that is what our country must be again. so that's what this election is really about because in 50 days, every iowa voter needs to know

that from the president on down to local officials, we democrats are for raising the minimum wage, for equal pay for equal work, for making college and technical training affordable, for growing the economy to benefit everyone and our opponents are not. [applause] for jack hatch fixing down run down homes led to a business building affordable housing. and then to the state house where he worked to provide health insurance for children, improve foster care and clean up the environment. it's no wonder tom asked him to be his state director. and he and monica vernon are going to make a great team in the state capitol.

[applause] i met stacy apple and her formly when she was in her first year in the state senate. she had worked her way up from minimum wage to manager at an iowa department store. and as a financial consultant she helped families plan for retirement and save for college. and she did it all while being a great mom to her six kids. [applause] her firsthand experience with the economic pressures facing iowa families made her look around and think we can do better. nd now with your help, she's poised to be the first woman ever to represent iowa in the united states congress. [applause]

and dave and jim and pat will bring wisdom, compassion to a congress where those qualities are in short supply. and bruce, bruce has his own story. after his dad was badly injured in a grain elevator accident, his mom went back to school and worked like crazy to get her teaching degree and to support their family. she inspired bruce to devote his life to fighting for other families facing hard times. as a congressman, he's done just that. he went to bat for iowa's national guard members and won them the pay they deserved. [applause] and just for a moment, think about the issue of the federal minimum wage. i understand it's being hotly

debated in bruce's race. some are talking about eliminating it all together if you can believe that. here is a little fact or two. women hold a majority of the minimum wage jobs in this country. and women also hold nearly three quarters of all jobs like waiters, bartenders, hair style thaste don't even get the minute -- minute wage. it's thought they will do fine with tips. these are often moms contributing to their families economic well being, sometimes they are single moms trying to give their kids the support they need on wages like that, without paid family leave, without sick leave, without flexibility or predictability at work.

without access to quality affordable child care. i think bruce gets that. he gets it in his heart as well as his head because of his own experience. and that's why easing the burdens on iowa's working families is more than a policy proposal for him. it's a personal commitment. i look at him and i see a leader who is going to do his best to make this a better country for my grandchild and all of our children. leave here committed to working as hard as you can. when you see your neighbors in the supermarket or pick your kids up from school, tell them about our candidates. share your ssion,

thumpe. knock on doors. vote for the kind of future all of our people deserve. now after traveling nearly a million miles and going to 112 countries on your behalf, i know we face a lot of economic, political and security challenges here at home and around the world. but everything i've seen convinces me that we can meet those challenges and seize big opportunities too. we have the human and natural resources to do it. we have the knowledge to do it. we have the will if we decide to exercise it to do it. we can build a growing economy of shared prosperity and a more equal sharing of responsibility

for a secure world. that's what america has always done and it's time to summon that spirit again. too many people only get excited about presidential campaigns. look, i get excited about presidential campaigns too. [applause] but those campaigns only happen every four years. and every two years you're electing members of congress and senators and state officials who will have a big say in the quality of your schools, your healthcare, your lives. so use the enthusiasm that iowa is so well known for every presidential year and channel that into these upcoming elections. don't wake up the day after the election and feel bad and wonder

what more you could have done. do everything you can now to make sure when you wake up that morning after the election, you breathe a big sigh of relief bazz you will have done everything you could to make sure that tom's legacy of service, of fighting, of standing up and making it clear whose side he's on will continue. it's time to heed the push of our values and the pull of our future. it's time to right that new chapter in the american dream. because remember, when we show up, we win. and i thank tom and ruth for always showing up and showing us the way. it's really great to be back. let's not let another seven years go by. thank you all very much.

[applause] >> good things always happen when bill clinton comes to iowa. [applause] i just want to say about the steak fry, this is his fourth. i remember in 2003, president

clinton came. we had terrible rains but we needed toth rain. we had a drought. but it rained two or three days before and that morning. it was a sea of mud. how many of you were here? it was just muddy. it was all over the place mud. we came down here and all the candidates had spoken, bob graham and howard dean and a bunch of others. then president clinton came down. those of you who were here will remember we came up on the stage to introduce president clinton on the stage, the clouds disappeared and the sun came out . i thought to myself boy this guy has friend in really high places. so mr. president, we're thankful for the sunshine today. but we're also thankful for the

sunshine of your leadership through all these years. thank you for what you've done for our country and the world. [applause] we can do this again. we can take that bridge to the future that he started building by creating those 22 million jobs, lifting 8 million people out of poverty, shared prosperity like hillary just said. he turned the deficits into the biggest surpluses in history. if we had continued with the clinton economic program, we would have paid off the national debt in 10 years. [applause] he pursued peace relentlessly.

i have an irish ancestry. i happened to be in ireland the weekend after the good friday accords that brought peace finally to ireland. he hammered that out. he wouldn't give up on that. and he brought peace to that country. [applause] he never gave up on seeking peace in the middle east. who can forget that photo of arafat shaking hand and there is clinton pulling them together? and since leaving the white house he went on to establish the clinton foundation. fighting global warming, combating childhood obesity, bringing global lead together to find solutions to our world's biggest problems.

mr. president, it is great to welcome you back to the 37th steak fry. let me just say personally, i ran against the governor of 1992.as back in 1991 to and it was not a sad day when i dropped out of the race because i knew that there was another person that-in that race that was going to take our country to a higher level, going to bring people together, who was going to build that bridge to the 21st century. so it didn't take me very long after i dropped out of the race. i went up to new york, we met. and i came out and supported him whole heartedly and i got to tell you, i am so proud, so proud of bill clinton. so thankful for his leadership

and so grateful for his friendship to me and ruth and our family through all these years. let's give it up for a great president and a great friend of iowa, bill clinton. [applause] > thank you. thank you very much. >> you've all been out here quite a while and i don't want this to be like one of these officers installation bank quets where everybody said everything that needs to be said but not everybody said it yet. i'll try to be brief. ut i will say first to tom and

ruth harkin, i wanted to be here to honor you torks spend my sunday with my wife, to wear the birthday present she gave me last august. what do you think? you like my shirt? [applause] i was kind of worried i looked like a table cloth at a diner but she said it was cool so i'm feeling good. but we wanted to be here because you two are part of our family history, you two are making history in iowa today with the last of the steak fries and you've been an important part of history in the last 30 or 40 years. ruth ran an agency a lot of people don't know about, the

overseas private corporation but it has a big impact on whether we can have fair trade and not just free trade, a big impact on whether we can sell things in other countries and create jobs in america. and aim grateful to her for doing that. when i became president, i had -- as tom said, we had worked together through the 192 campaign and i was impressed. i really did like the guy. i hated it when we were running against each other. i always felt like there was something not quite right. and when we started working together, it always sort of clicked. and i love being here in 1992. and i thank iowa for supporting me. and then i loved coming back in 1996 because then tom had one of

his rare tough elections and looked like i could help. i was telling a group of sponsors in that whole eight-year period when i was president, there was like a 36 hour window when my aapproval rating in iowa was higher than his and he made sure i flew in here and he took advantage of it. and i got out of town before anything bad could happen to him. and you re-elected him. and i'm very grateful. 2003 it rained like crazy. a 20 somethingas at wood stock. only thing is marijuana wasn't legal yet anywhere and we were addicted to music now and we were addicted in politics in 2003, but i was glad the sun came out so we didn't look totally i had ot i can doing what we were doing.

i'm grateful. but you need to know some other things. tom harkin, besides taking good care of iowa and knowing about agnieszka projects and trying to help promote the healthcare coverage that came to fruition in the affordable care act but healthier lifestyles through nutrition standards that our friend has been trying to work through with the schools here. he was at least, when i was involved, the reigning authority in the senate on the activities of the national institute of health and what should be invested and how we should spend our investment money and give younger people a brighter future. and also, by the way, grow our economy in a good way. he was along with senator chris d.o.d. of connecticut, one of

the strongest voices for restoring democracy to haiti in 1994 because the military dictator down there was putting tires around people's necks and setting them afire. they were our nearest neighbors. they had been told they had to go and iowa is going told that nobody gave a rip about haiti and it was crazy. we did it and no shot was fired. nobody got hurt. and largely because we had a few brave members of congress like tom harkin to do it. when that eric hit haiti americans gave a billion dollars and i still work there and we're still getting stuff done and i'm convinced even though they've had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of it never would have happened if america had walked away and allowed dictate tors to kill people virtually on our borders instead of give them a

chance. and i thank tom harkin for that. [applause] he talked about the americans with disabilities act. there was another great disability act passed at the end of my presidency. and tom was one of the people that brought to my attention that it was fine to say that people who were disabled couldn't be discriminated against. it was fine to say they had the right to go to work but did they really have the means to go to work because there were so many people who were disabled and required $100,000 worth of care a year to be maintained and if they went to work for 20 hours a ek and earned $20,000 or whatever, they would be then rendered ineligible to keep their health care.

we were trapping millions of people who were classified as disabled who were in fact quite able to make a contribution to themselves, their families, their future and to our country by having this crazy rule that said i'm sorry if you make any money we have to take your medicare or medicaid away. we changed that in the late 10eu9's and enabled huge numbers of people with disabilities to have abilities in the forefront and live a better life and make a contribution to the united states and we owe thanks to tom harkin for that. [applause] and since, as hillary said, we're doing our best to be in the right zone to be good and i hope not too doting grandparents. i don't think most people in iowa ever knew that tom harkin did more than any other member of the united states congress to

make sure america was leading the charge and on the right side of the international effort to bring an toned abusive child labor practices all over the world. [applause] so i always liked him but every day i served with him, i knew why more. i think the happiest day we ever had together it was day he came to the oval office and he was able to be with me as we called his brother to have the first conversation ever had with the technology that allowed people who were deaf to communicate over telephones with people who were not. [applause] so i'm here more than anything

else because the shining life of tom harkin and ruth proves that politics can be a noble profession, that good things can come from tough elections, that people who disagree can get together, work together and find common ground. -- i want to thank tom and ruth for their service and friendship. i want to say that everything tom said about bruce is true. but i'm going to tell you a story that will make it more meaningful and i hope will make a better case at least indirectly for jack and monica vernon and for all your ongressional candidates.

i think a mother with six kids belongs in congress and i've heard some of those sexist say anybody that can raise six kids can run a foreign 500 company, they can certainly handle a seat in congress and do it justice. hope you will help stays. -- stacy. >> i thank brad anderson for running for secretary of state. effort a republican wins a secretary of state job they try to restrict voting rights and i don't like that too much. that's what wanted to say. i want you to think about what all this means. what does it mean to say that we

respect our opponents and we don't mind it if they disagree with us, vote against us, do whatever, but in the end we have to find a way to work together, to make agreements to get the show on the road. they think they are right all the time and if they make an agreement with us, it's somehow compromising, besides they might lose a primary election. now this is a modest reflection of the kind of conflict that is going on all over the world today. hear what is going on everywhere. we live in the most interdependent nage human history. -- age in hupen history. iowa farmers can find out what is happening to comparable crops all over the world instantly. you follow the price of inputs, e price of out puts, the

probably weather conditions. we are more interdependent than ever before. we are more diverse than ever before in america. but our main political problem shows you what the world's problem is. think about america. we are less racist, sexist and homophobic than we've ever been. continuing ve one problem. we don't want to be around anybody that disagrees with us more than ever before. we are living with complex problems with a lot of moving parts that require people with good minds and good experiences and different experiences to come together. that's what i always loved about harkin. he never stopped being a good progressive liberal democrat, but he never did go to work with his ears plugged up.

he never did go into a situation and put blinders on so he couldn't see what was plainly before his eyes. that is hurting america. everywhere in the world that people's interaction are characterized by constant onflict, winner take all, good things are not happening. everywhere in the world the situation reflects inclusive government, cooperation between the public and private sector and different groups for the purpose of getting something done, good things are happening. everywhere in america it's true, everywhere in the world it's true. in this interdependent age, sadly in the last couple of months all we've been reading about are the most painful headlines. but there are some good things happening. there has been a huge drop in

the last 10 years in the amount of extreme poverty in the world. healthcare goals for people all over the world, we're going to reach them. mority is down, infant mority is down. fewer babes are dying in their first five years during life because of water born illnesses. the aids rate is down. but there is a lot of violence out there. because power is dispersed. that mens that apart from any specific issue, every time you vote, you need to be looking for somebody that first agrees with you and will stand for what you believe in, but will go to work every day with their ears unplugged and their eyes wide open prepared to reach a principle compromise and stand up and explain it to you if you

disagree. we have got to pull this country together to push this country forward. [applause] that's really why i want these folks to win. this is most important for bruce 's race but it has implications elsewhere. look, i've run for office a lot of times. i never tried to put on a television ad that i thought would turn people off. without being dishonest, you want to appeal to as many people as you can. and when bruce's opponent put that ad on, i wish i could think of as diplomatic a way to describe it as tom did, but i never graduated beyond the cows in my great grandfather's herd

when i was six so i'm lothed to try to up my game at this late stage. here is what i want to say. a lot of these republicans spent all their time dising the president and dumping on the snalt majority leader harry reid. if you listen to them, half the time they are not even running against their opponents. they are trying to get you to check your brain at the door, start foaming at the mouth, push some hot button. the last thing they want to you do is think. now here is something i read the other day and i read it twice to make sure i wouldn't misrepresent it to you. there was a rather revealing article in the press sometime in the last couple of weeks about a speech the senate republican leader who wants to be majority leader by getting you to erase

all our candidates from congress and our candidate for the senate and see only the people that they are allegedly clones of taking orders from. it was senator mitch mcconnell's speech to the coke brothers political forum supposedly in secret. again, this was highly informal and informative. so mcconnell first of all said when he became majority leader, he wanted them to know that they would begin by using the budget to take over the government because the budget is the only thing that you can't filibuster. it takes majority vote. so they were going to put an amendment on every budget of every department to get rid of anything that had been done since president obama had been in office or before they didn't like and if he vie towed it they

would shut the government down over and over again this. is not an allegation. he was bragging on this like he was ion sign the discovering the theory of relativity. he found the secret to personal nant gridlock. oh happy day. what i found even more important and revealing was at the end senator mcconnell said according to the transcript released from the meeting that the worst day in his 30 year political life was the day that the mccain bill was signed into law. now for those of you who don't remember it because the supreme court has gutted its impact. it was a bipartisan bill designed to limit campaign contributions in size and to eliminate inso far as possible

secrecy in campaign contributions so we'd have to fess up and if somebody was trying to get to us, we'd know who was paying for it. how could you think that's the worst thing that happened? only if you thought the best thing that happened was if the coke brothers could run black bag operations in every country and spend all this money driving people crazy and getting them to stop thinking and never be found out. i thought some of my friends were mad at senator mcconnell. i was profoundly sad. when i look back on my life in politics, after all those decades and fights and all those campaigns, if the worst thing that ever happened to me was an attempt to limit black bag campaign contributions. what about 9/11? what about the financial

meltdown? what about the farm crisis in the 1970's and what about the middle of the country's manufacturing base hollowing out in the 1980's? and what about in his fative kentucky 70% of the coal miners losing their job before the e.p.a. said a word with no way to put them back to work in other ways? how could you possibly say the worst thing that happened to you was not being able to black bag unlimited amounts of money. in politics when all of these things have happened to americans? one thing i know, everybody up here will be just like tom harkin was in one respect. they will be in this for you when you need it. they may make mistakes. they may do things you don't agree with. but you will not have to worry that if you elect them 30 years

from now they will actually stand up with a straight face before a bunch of rich donors and say the saddest day of my life was when i couldn't take it all from you and keep it a secret. [applause] so remember this is way more than just what everybody said. we are going to define the terms in which we will relate to each other and relate to the rest of the world. you can't get a divorce from the rest of the world or the rest of your neighbors around the corner and across the country. we are interdependent. we are in this together. are we going to build the future together or play a winner take install is it going to be conflict or cooperation? you know what it ought to be. you know what you ought to do to honor the harkin legacy and that is to elect bruce and all these congressional candidates. thank you and god bless you all.

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>> if you missed any of that event, you can see it again at c-span.org. the gavelbout to drop on brief speeches. legislative business will get under way at 4:00. now live to the house. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy.

haplain conroy: let us pray. almighty god of the universe, we give you thanks for giving us another day. we thank you that you give us a share in your creative work, having endowed each with unique and important talents. on this day, we ask your blessing on the men and women of the people's house who have been entrusted with the care of this great nation's people. because of the great blessings you have bestowed on our nation, may we embrace the opportunity to build a better world beyond our borders as well. there's another election -- as another election approaches, members are understandably focused on their campaigns. give them the energy and courage to remain focused as well on the demands of office facing them now. this is difficult. but our nation and our world

have many issues calling for attention, and these few have the privilege of addressing them in some hope of bringing resolution that may be of benefit to us all. may all they do this day be for your greater honor and glory, amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. pitts. mr. pitts: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise in mr. pitts: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pitts: i want to congratulate the lankster elk's lodge on their 125 years of service to our community. the benevolented orer of the elks was founded in 1868 and just over two decades later, the lankster branch first met, growing from 24 members at the beginning to more than 600 today. for nearly 150 years now, elks have engaged in service to their communities, focused on veterans, youth, and our nation. the elks count among their past members a number of distinguished americans, including five men who served as speaker of this house. nationwide, the organization donates $3.65 million to send

kids to college. locally, the lankster elks are known for their children's sports leagues and events. the elks support our veterans and service members, making sure they are honored for their dedication to our country. thank you again to the lankster elks for their contributions to our community and i'm looking forward to celebrating this great anniversary with them on november 1. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the jlt gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. foxx: thank youing mr. speaker. the august jobs report is out and it contains more bad news. the six-month trend creating 200,000 plus jobs is over. consider that in order to return to its previous session levels, the economy needs add more than

380,000 private sector jobs every month. 200,000 is barely half of the needed number and this month, we dropped to 142,000 new jobs. this new normal might be ok for washington and the booming public sector, but it is not ok with the millions of americans struggling to find work and the millions more who have given up looking altogether. the house has passed more than 40 bills that would address our struggling economy and help create jobs. these bills are now sitting in the senate while that body debates whether or not to gut the first amendment. maybe if the senators acted on some of these house-passed bills, they wouldn't have to spend so much time worrying about what people are saying about them. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the

gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. very ckson lee: thank you much, mr. speaker. sometimes we have the opportunity to come and to share some of the joys of america. this month is gospel music history month, and i'm delighted to be able to say that we are celebrating the history of gospel music. in 2008, former senator blanch lincoln and myself introduced a resolution to name september gospel music heritage month and we're doing that to be able to reflect on the writers and singers and musicians. gospel music throughout the country new york different areas around, appalachia and the deep south and the midwest and the far west and the east coast where people see it in their own way. where soldiers sing the music and people sing it for comfort and joy. tonight at the kennedy center,

we'll be honoring work former senator blanch lincoln and others, these are individuals who represent a long trend of history in gospel music. the real idea is to say that america is such a free and wonderful country that we can reflect on the goodness of so many, singing songs of joy and praise without the trepidation of government interference. gospel music heritage, simply to say thank you, thank you for the music over the years from the 1700's and 1800's and 1900's, through war and peace, gospel music has been a comfort to many americans. i'm delighted to celebrate and thank all of those who contributed to the great history of america gospel music history month. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from m.d. seek recognition? -- from maryland seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise today to recognize the

career of my constituent, kevy nighland who retired after 34 years of service to the united states representatives. kevy came to the house in 1980 to be a constituent service coordinator for congressman miller. beginning a long career of service to the american people. mr. van hollen: she later moved to the clerk's office, starting as administrative assistant before becoming assistant clerk to the official reporters in 1995. four years later, she was named reading clerk and then in 2009, she took the office of deputy chief of legislative operations for the house of representatives. kevy served under seven speakers of the house from tip o'neill to john boehner. and has had a front seat for many historic and spirited debates in this chamber. i've encouraged her to write a book, but she has responded, no one would believe it. her extraordinary efforts to record and support the work of the house makes our actions open

and transparent to all american citizens and holds each of us accountable to the constituents we serve. i know kevy plans to take a well-deserved vacation but i expect she'll continue to find ways to serve her community. i know we all feel very lucky to have benefited from her work here in the house. mr. speaker, i ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating kevy neyland on her outstanding service to this body and wish her the very best in her well-earned retirement. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on september 11, 2014, at 4:44 p.m., that the senate passed

senate 2258, that the senate passed without amendment h.r. 4197. signed, sincerely, karen l. haas. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximately

the article goes on to say the resolution x birth best especially states it does not give president obama the right to center to the combat. chuck hagel may have reaction to what congress is preparing. he appears tomorrow with martin nancy. the two will be testifying on the u.s. strategy towards isis. that hearing is set for 9:30 tomorrow. we will also hear from secretary of state john kerry. he is set to testify before the senate foreign relations committee. att hearing is wednesday 2:30. that will also be live on c-span3.

the 20 host:5 student can come position is open. showing how a policy, law, or action by the executive or legislative or judicial branch of the federal government has affected you or your community. there are 200 cash prizes for students and teachers totaling $100,000, with a list of rules and how to get story, go to student can.org. nato secretary-general condemned the myrtle -- murders of american journalists and british aid worker. the secretary talked about the threat posed by isis, as well as the future of nato and relations with russia. his five-year term of secretary-general will end this month. >> legs and gentlemen we still have a few seeds, and it will be

fantastic. we can just fill it up completely. you to thisme event. they host together today. when you meet once, ethical incidents. we meet twice, it is luck. when you meet three times its tradition. when you meet four times, you are in old couple. today marks the fourth time in five years that you mr. secretary have chosen and picked carnegie europe as the organization from which to address the foreign policy in brussels. we have moved into old couple territory. which feels very good today. it comes only if you don't put it into perspective. our organization is one of the three years old, it is always

nice to know that six to five-year-old ladies called nato still want to play with us. it is the nature of the old couple here today. give yourn up to farewell speech today. you are doing this despite the fact that we have often been critical, and i think that is the definition of being an old couple, that you can do that to each other and still work together. when you started your tenure at nato, you gave your first public speech in brussels at carnegie europe. that was a most executive the day five years ago. veryess is featuring prominently at that time. speech wasic of that been relationship of nato with russia. decided that you really wanted to put a lot of effort into the relationship area you called of the new beginning. the war in georgia had just happened. everybody was still kind of recovering from it. everyone was still at high

hopes. knowing that it was the key variable in european security. as we know, it was not to be. and fresh hopes were replaced by old fears. and that is where we stand today. i'm sure that russia will feature prominently again in your speech. over the lastuse few months, you have been at the forefront, and a key player in putting together a robust response to russia's actions in eastern europe. the western response. and like many other things that you have done in the last five years, that have not only made your friends -- apart from this latest management over western response, you have of course used afghanistan and the experience that nato get out of that mission to change the way the alliance worked, and predominately thinks about itself. that was an important change that you administered.

you have reminded again and again member states that they were often not in compliance with promises they had made earlier. and you pushed those that were reluctant to show more dedication, and to show more dedication to alliant solidarity. it was a key issue that always resurfaced whenever you spoke up. he did all of this during a time when major political and economic crisis shook europe and north america. the time to do a defense debate. nobody really wants to look at difficult truth out of afghanistan, when everyone tought it was great dimension defense spending. that was a lot of leadership under incredible difficult circumstances. no wonder it was painful for some the you addressed. weeksmany in the upcoming , when you are leaving your job as nato secretary-general, will probably issue a sigh of relief, that the nagging men from

denmark is finally leaving the stage. -- but that sigh says more about then that it says about you. when you hear them, you should know that you have earned them. for the reminder of what matters in atlanta security for the european crowd. we thank you be able speak to us. to this event, carnegie will publish an article you have written for us. in which you point out the fundamentals of security in europe once more. and a greater detail then in the speech today i'm sure. we have printed copies for all of you. i'm sure some of you have picked up a copy, it is available at the door. it will also feature on our website, and through our media channels to before i invite you to take the floor, let me say two very quick things. first of all, thanks to the financial times who is moderating this event. learn youys great to back into security and defense,

which i know you are missing. secretary-general, you just told me that you can't announce just now as to what you be doing at the first of october. but whatever it is, we wish you good luck. and we are sure that we would hear from you just like we did in the last five years. secretary general, the floor is yours. thank you. [applause] >> thank you for that very generous introduction, and first of all, thank you very much for your dedicated work for coming to europe and your strong engagement in the public debate. on foreign and security policy issues. thanks tog word of carnegie europe for hosting this event. as you mentioned, my very first speech as new secretary-general in september 2009 was also

hosted by carnegie europe. so i feel that i have come full circle by delivering my last brussels speech as secretary general also hosted by the carnegie europe endowment. way, this also gives me sweet memories. actually, it was in this very heads of state and governments of the european on the economic framework for concluding negotiations with the applicant countries. denmark helped, the rotating president of the

europe in union. as per mr. denmark, i hosted the dinner for heads of state and government. on we reached an agreement the economic framework for concluding these negotiations, which led to the historic decision at the eu summit in copenhagen on the 13th of december. decision to enlarge the european union. and actually the foundation was laid in this very room. this is my last month in office as nato secretary general. and i have to say, these past five years have been the busiest and most challenging for nato and for me personally. -- carriedried out out demanding operations on

three different continents. and we have reformed and renewed our alliance to make it fitter, faster, and more flexible. concept, theic redness action plan, smart defense, the connection forces initiative, defense capacity building, missile-defense, enhanced cyber defense -- these are all major achievements. they demonstrate nato's continued ability to change and to adapt. so, i am confident that i will andeaving my good friend alliance with a solid foundation and a clear concept. i am sure that he will do a great job in keeping nato strong. strong could not be more important. there is an arc of crisis and instability that crests -- it

stretches from east to south. to ourposes a threat population and territories. we see challenges on a scale we have not seen it for over two decades. and they will endure for years to come. fact.d to face this to the east, there is russia. we have tried long and hard to build a partnership with russia. russia's that respects security concerns and based on international rules and norms. as you mentioned, in fact, my very first speech as new secretary-general of nato, five years ago, was about developing a stronger partnership between nato and russia.

regrettably, russia has rejected our efforts to engage. instead, russia considers nato and the west more broadly as an adversary. russia has trampled all the rules and commitments that have kept peace in europe and beyond since the end of the cold war. the pattern is clear. , and the ukraine, russia is use economic pressure actionsomic -- military to manufacturer conflicts and to diminish the independence of its neighbors. south, there is a so-called islamic state. not a state, but a group of terrorists.

they are committing horrific atrocities against thousands of people across the rock -- iraq and syria. i strongly condemn the outrageous murders of american the britishand of aid worker. stand shoulder to shoulder, resolute and united against the scourge of terrorism. group poses even more of a danger as it risks exporting terrorists to our countries. it also controls energy efforts. and it is pouring oil on the fire of sectarianism already burning across the middle east and north africa. a region that is a tinderbox of governance,rs, we

and polity. forces thatonted by ,eject our liberal democracy and our liberal, rules-based order. the agendas and ideologies are different. violent,are virulence, and vehemently anti-western. they will grasp every opportunity to undermine our liberty, individual freedom, democracy, respect for the rule of law, and human rights. their backward looking vision on others. frontline of a new battle. tolerancele between

and fanaticism. the twin democracy -- between democracy and totalitarianism. between open and closed societies. age of unrest and revisionism, we must stand united and we must stand as a force for freedom. strengthen our collective defense, strengthen our community of nations, and strengthen our collective engagement. first we must strengthen our collective defense, our ability to defend our populations and our countries against any threat. response to russia's aggression against ukraine, we immediately reinforced our defense and deterrence.

and at the nato summit in wales, we agreed our groundbreaking readiness action to make sure our response to any challenge is firm and fast. ,ur defense capabilities military posture, and political will must send a clear signal to any potential aggressor. we must also improve our ability to purchase eight in international crisis management. in international crisis management. the threats called the so-called islamic state requires a military response to degrade and defeat this terrorist operation. and it was the credible threat of military strikes against

syria that persuaded assad regime to give up their chemical weapons. principle ofe responsibility to protect that left the un security council to mandate a military operation in libya. be able, ready, and willing to step up to the plate when conflict can affect our own security. abilityust improve our to have partners build their own security forces. if we train local security forces to take care of local security, we can protect stability without necessarily protecting large numbers of our own troops. we must do more to help our

partners defend themselves, find their own solutions, and prevent crisis in their regions before they emerge. that is why, at the whale summit, we launched a new defense capacity building initiative. as an initial step, we extended it to georgia, jordan, and moldova. and if the new government requests it, nato will consider a new defense capacity building mission for iraq as well. this will require more investments in defense and security. wales summit, we turned a corner. the command to gradually increase defense spending over the next decade is a strong and united response to the

comes at a cost, but insecurity is much more expensive, and freedom does not come for free. second, we must strengthen the global community of free --ieties that are demoted devoted to the market economy, the rule of law, human rights, and respect for the rules-based international order. in north america, you are at the core of the global community. the transatlantic fund is the bedrock of our shared security