families agree -- "welcome home." welcome home. welcome home. welcome home. [ applause ] it is great to be here at fort bragg, home of the airborne and special operations forces. i want to thank general anderson and all your outstanding leaders for welcoming us here today including general dave rodriguez, general john mulholland. and i want to give a shout out to your senior enlisted leaders including command sergeant major roger howard, darren bond, perry bayer and give a big round of applaud to the ground forces band. [ applause ]

>> we've got a lot of folks in the house today. we've got the 18th airborne corps, the sky dragon. we have the 82nd airborne division. [ cheers ] >> we've got america's quiet professionals, our special operations forces. [ cheers ] >> from pope field we've got air force. [ cheers ] >> and i do believe we've got some navy and marine corps here too. >> yeah! [ laughter ] [ applause ] >> and though they're not here with us today we send our thoughts and prayers to general held mutt, sergeant major rice and all the folks from the 18th airborne and bragg who are

bringing our troops back from iraq. [ cheers ] we honor everyone from the 82th airborne and bragg serving and succeeds in afghanistan and the general and those serving around the world. and let me just say one of the most humbling moments i've had as president was when i presented our nation's highest military decoration, the medal of honor to the parents of one of those patriots from fort bragg who gave his life in afghanistan, staff sergeant robert miller. i want to salute jenny rodriguez and marian mull holland, melissa hel muchld t and all the military families here today.

we honor your services here as well. [ applause ] and finally i want to acknowledge your neighbors and friends who help keep your -- this outstanding operation going all who help to keep you army strong and that includes representatives mike mcintire and dave price and heath shuler and governor bev purdue. i know bev is so proud to have done so much for our military families. so give them a big round of applause. [ applause ] today i've come to speak to you about the end of the war in iraq. over the last few months the final work of leaving iraq has been done.

dozens of bases with american names that house thousands of american troops have been closed down or turned over to the iraqis. thousands of tons of equipment have been packed up and shipped out. tomorrow, the colors of united states forces iraq, the colors you fought under, will be formally cased in a ceremony in baghdad. then they'll begin their journey across an ocean back home. over the last three years, nearly 150,000 u.s. troops have left iraq. and over the next few days, a small group of american soldiers will begin the final march out of that country. some of them are on their way back to fort bragg.

general helmut said they know that the last tactical road march out of iraq will be a symbol and they're going to be a part of history. as your commander-in-chief, i can tell you that it will indeed be a part of history. those last american troops will move south on desert sands. and then they will cross the border out of iraq with their heads held high. one of the most extraordinary chapters in the history of the american military will come to an end. iraq's future will be in the hands of its people. america's war in iraq will be over. [ cheers ] >> now we knew this day would come. we've known it for some time.

still there is something profound about the end of a war that has lasted so long. and nine years ago american troops were preparing to deploy to the persian gulf and the possibility that they would be sent to war. many of you were in grade school. i was a state senator. many of the leaders now governing iraq, including the prime minister, were living in exile. and since then our efforts in iraq have taken many twists and turns. it was the source of great controversy here at home. with patriots on both sides of the debate. but there was one constant. there was one constant, your

patriotism. your commitment to fulfill your mission. your abiding commitment to one another. that was constant. that did not change. that did not waiver. it's harder to end a war than begin one. indeed everything that american troops have done in iraq all the fighting and all the dying, the bleeding and the building and the training and the partnering, all of it has led to this moment of success. iraq's not a perfect place. it has many challenges ahead. but we're leaving behind a sovereign, stable, and self reliant iraq with a representative government that was elected by its people.

we're building a new partnership between our nations. and we are ending a war not with a final battle but with a final march toward home. this is an extraordinary achievement. nearly nine years in the making. and today, we remember everything that you did to make it possible. we remember the early days, the american units that streaked across the sands and skies of iraq. the battles from karballah to baghdad, the american troops breaking the back of a dictator in less than a month. we remember the roadside bombs, the sniper fire, the suicide attacks. from the triangle of death to the fight for ramadi, from mosul in the north a basra in the

south, your will proved stronger than the terror of those who tried to break it. we remember the spector of sectarian violence. al qaeda's attack on mosques and pilgrims. militias who carried out campaigns of intimidation and campaigns of assassination. and in the face of ancient divisions you stood firm to help iraqis who put their faith in the future. we remember the surge and we remember the awakening. when the abyss of chaos turned toward the promise of reconciliation. and by battling and building block by block in baghdad, by bringing tribes into the fold and partnering with the iraqi army and police you helped turn the tide toward peace.

and we remember the end of our combat mission and the emergence of a new dawn, the precision of our efforts against al qaeda in iraq. the professionalism of the training of iraqi security forces, and the steady draw down of our forces. in handing over responsibility to the iraqis, you preserve the gains of the last four years and made this day possible. just last month some of you, members of the falcon brigade -- [ cheers ] >> -- turned over the anbar facility over to the iraqis. in an area that was once the heart of the insurgency a combination of fighting, training, politics and partnership brought the promise of peace. hearsay what the local iraqi

deputy governor said. this is all because of the u.s. forces' hard work and sacrifice. that's in the words of an iraqi. hard work and sacrifice. those words only begin to describe the costs of this war. and the courage of the men and women who fought it. we know too well the heavy costs of this war. more than 1.5 million americans have served in iraq. 1.5 million. over 30,000 americans have been wounded. and those are only the wounds that show.

nearly 4,500 americans made the ultimate sacrifice. including 202 fallen heroes from here at fort bragg. 202. so today we fuse say a prayer for all those families who lost their loved ones. for they are part of our broader american family. we grieve with them. we also know that these numbers don't tell the full story of the iraq war. not even close. our civilians have represented our country with skill and bravery. our troops have served tour after tour of duty with precious little dwell time in between. our guard and reserve units stepped up with unprecedented service. you've endured dangerous foot patrols and you've endured the pain of seeing your friends and comrades fall.

you've had to be more than soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen. you had to be diplomats and development workers and trainers and peacemakers. through all this you have shown why the united states military is the finest fighting force in the history of the world. [ cheers ] [ applause ] as my sheichelle mentioned burden of war is borne by your families. in countless base communities like bragg, folks have come together in the absence of a loved one. as the mayor of fayetteville put

it, war is not a political word here, war is where our friends and neighbors go. so they've been missed birthday parties and graduations. there are bills to pay and jobs that have to be juggled while picking up the kids. for every soldier that goes on patrol there are the husbands and the wives, the mothers, the fathers, the sons and the daughters praying that they come back. so today, as we mark the end of the war, let us acknowledge. let us give a heart felt round of applause for every military family that has carried that load over the last nine years, you too have the thanks of a grateful nation. [ applause ]

part of ending a war responsibly is standing by those who fought it. it's not enough to honor you with words. words are cheap. we must do it with deeds. you stood up for america. america needs to stand up for you. [ cheers ] >> that's why as your commander-in-chief i am committed to making sure you get the care and the benefits and the opportunities that you've earned. for those of you who remain in uniform, we will do whatever it takes to ensure the health of our force, including your

families. we will keep faith with you. we will help our wounded warriors heal. and we will stand by those who've suffered the unseen wounds of war. and make no mistake as we go forward as a nation we are going to keep america's armed forces the strongest fighting force the world has ever seen. that will not stop. [ cheers ] [ applause ] >> that will not stop. but our commitment doesn't end when you take off the uniform. you're the finest that our nation has to offer and after years of rebuilding iraq, we want to enlist our veterans in the work of rebuilding america. that's why we're committed to doing everything we can to extend more opportunities to those who have served.

that includes the post-9/11 g.i. bill so that you and your families can get the education that allows you to live out your dreams. that includes a national effort to put our veterans to work. we've worked with congress to pass tax credit so that companies have the incentive to hire vets and michelle has worked with the private sector to get commitments to create 100,000 jobs for those who served. and by the way we're doing this not just because it's the right thing to do by you. we're doing it because it's the right thing to do for america. folks like my grandfather came back from world war ii to form the backbone of this country's middle class. for our post-9/11 veterans with your skill, with your discipline, with your leadership, i am confident that

the story of your service to america is just beginning. but there's something else that we owe you. as americans we have a responsibility to learn from your service. thinking of an example, lieutenant alvin shell who is based here at fort bragg. a few years ago on a supply route outside baghdad he and his team were engulfed by flames from an rpg attack. covered with gasoline, he ran into the fire to help his fellow soldiers and then led them two miles back to camp victory where he finally collapsed, covered with burns.

when they told him he was a hero, alvin disagreed. i'm not a hero, he said. a hero is a sandwich. i'm a paratrooper. [ cheers ] >> we could do well to learn from alvin. this country needs to learn from you. folks in washington need to learn from you. [ cheers ] >> policymakers and historians will continue to analyze the strategic lessons of iraq. that's important to do. our commanders will incorporate the hard-won lessons in the future military campaigns. that's important to do. but the most important lesson that we can take from you is not about military strategy. it's a lesson about our national character.

for all of the challenges that our nation faces, you remind us that there's nothing we americans can't do when we stick together. [ cheers ] >> for all the disagreements that we face, you remind us there's something bigger than our differences. something that makes us one nation and one people regardless of color, regardless of creed. regardless of what part of the country we come from. regardless of what backgrounds we come out of. you remind us we're one nation. that's why the united states military is the most respected institution in our land because you never forget that.

you can't afford to forget it. if you forget it, somebody dies. if you forget it, a mission fails. so you don't forget it. you have each other's backs. that's why you, the 9/11 generation, has earned your place in history. because of you, because you sacrificed so much for a people that you had never met, iraqis have a chance to forge their own destiny. that's part of what makes especial as americans. unlike the old empires, we don't make these sacrifices for territory or for resources. we do it because it's right. [ cheers ]

>> there can be no fuller expression of america's support for self determination than our leaving iraq to its people. that says something about who we are. because of you in afghanistan we've broken the momentum of the taliban. because of you we've begun a transition to the afghans and around the globe as we draw down in iraq we have gone after al qaeda so that terrorists who threaten america will have no safe haven and osama bin laden will never again walk the face of this earth. [ cheers ] [ applause ] so here's what i want you to know and here's what i want all our men and women in uniform to know.

because of you we are ending these wars in a way that will make america stronger and the world more secure. because of you. that success was never guaranteed. let us never forget the source of american leadership. our commitment to the values that are written into our founding documents. and a unique willingness among nations to pay a great price for the progress of human freedom and dignity. [ cheers ] >> this is who we are. that's what we do. as americans. together. the war in iraq will soon belong to history. your service belongs to the ages. never forget that you are part

of an unbroken line of heroes spanning two centuries from the colonists who overthrew an empire to your parents and grandparents who faced down fascism and communism to you, men and women who fought for the same principles in fallujah and kandahar and delivered justice to those who attacked us on 9/11. looking back on the war that saved our union, a great american, oliver wendell holmes once paid tribute to those who served. in our youth, he said, "our hearts were touched with fire. it was given to us to learn at the outset that life is a profound and passionate thing."

all of you here today have lived through the fires of war. you will be remembered for it. you will be honored for it. always. you have done something profound with your lives. when this nation went to war, you signed up to serve. when times were tough you kept fighting. when there was no end in sight, you found light in the darkness. years from now your legacy will endure in the names of your fallen comrades etched on headstones at arlington and the quiet memorials across our country. in the whispered words of admiration as you march in parades and in the freedom of our children and our grandchildren. and in the quiet of night you will recall that your heart was once touched by fire.

you will know that you answered when your country called. you served a cause greater than yourselves. you helped forge a just and lasting peace with iraq and among all nations. i could not be prouder of you. and america could not be prouder of you. god bless you all. god bless your families and god bless the united states of america. [ cheers ] [ applause ] we were just watching the president at fort bragg where he addressed the troops marking the end of the war in iraq and what's being done for veterans. the president mentioned the post 9/11 g.i. education bill and tax credits giving companies inventives to hire vets creating is 00,000 jobs for those who served. but more than one in ten iraq

war veterans is unemployed and that is higher than the 9% unemployment rate. joining me lloyd webber, msnbc political analyst, general saki and from national public radio white house correspondent ari shapiro. president obama seeking to ring a final bell on the war in iraq there. the thing that struck me is he was reminding us of that day when saddam hussain was toppled which seems a long time ago. one thing to focus on is the question of veterans returning home. the unemployment rate for veterans is 11.1%. the other staggering figure is that veterans account for one in five suicides in the united states. we have some estimates from the veterans administration that says 18 veterans kill themselves daily. we talk about the wars and the amnesia for what is happening

overseas but here at home it is not clear what is happening to veterans when they return back stateside. >> it is scarier for veterans under the age of 25 where the unemployment rate is 30%. and when we are talking about 1%. 1% of americans serve in the military and have done something for their country they are coming back home there should be sacrifice from us going how can we help? it's that 1% that are occupying the news maybe they need to pay more. and for us how can we help these men and women? >> 1.5 million americans have served in the wars in iraq and afghanistan and so many americans are detached from those who served. there are communities in which everybody knows one or many people who have been injured or killed. and there are huge swaths of america where nobody in our family or friends have served. that is causing this disconnect.

>> obama said war is not a political word. it is where our friends and neighbors go. that is true for many communities in our country and others. >> particularly true in the early voting primary states. you go to ohio disproportionate number of veterans there. this should be front and center of the presidential debate. we are going to be living with the costs and impact of the wars for many years to come. when people talk about spending cuts all we talked about was the hiring incentive. we have to talk about training these guys. they come with character and life experiences but not necessarily the right job training. that costs public money. when we try to talk about balancing budget it is and deficits we need to think about what it is spent on. >> this is one of the only issues that has brought republicans and democrats together in congress is passing the tax credits. the -- >> tax credits -- >> for companies to hire veterans.

>> that's one step. there is more that needs to happen. private sector companies that have nothing in common with democrats in congress have stepped in here. but there is more that needs to happen. the training is a good point. some of the statistics you've seen people under 25 who don't have a college degree returning to rural areas who hay not have the opportunity to get the skills they need. there are not the opportunities right now. next year this may be something where there is action in congress. this may be something that is talked about on the campaign trail. >> it is worth noting that vets make up 30% of all federal employees. minorities make up 29.6%. as we talk about freezing pay for federal workers that will hurt our veterans. now is mike vicaro.

how are you? >> the president spoke in maintenance hangar for planes like this one. you saw the troops wearing the maroon berets and the president alluded to the special forces who are here. you know beyond all the politics, beyond what faces a lot of these folks when they get out of the military beyond what faces them as they try to transition from theater of operations the combat theater of operations they were very enthusiastic greeting the president here today. you heard the president giving them credit in an oblique way for some of the accomplishments he has ticked off in other venues, killing osama bin laden, reversing the momentum of the taliban in afghanistan as well.

so overall i thought the tone the president took was appropriate. it had a finality to it. it was profound in some places talking about everything that the troops have achieved taken 1.5 million troops that have served in afghanistan. here at fort bragg, obviously it's a military base. they lost 202 americans to the war in iraq over the last nine years. >> worth noting that the democratic convention will be in north carolina. a president that president obama won in 2008. mitt romney has an op ed in the local paper excoriating the president for his lack of action in lowering the unemployment rate. i wander what you headache of that. this should be an apolitical moment for the country and romney is highlighting what he sees as president obama's

shortcomings. >> romney said that the withdrawal from iraq was a mistake. he criticized it and he also suggested it is a good idea to private size the health care system under the va system. romney's politics is curious use and out of touch where the min stream american opinion is. >> and he opposed the approach to libya. his record on national security -- well there isn't one but his viewpoint raise questions. but i also think that the speech today is what people across the country like to see about the president whether you are a democrat and don't pay attention or an independent or republican he showed decisiveness and leadership. >> he was the commander-in-chief. >> no one would have thought nine years ago when he was a state senator or four years ago that national security and his leadership on this issue would be a go-to point for him. >> he kept it focused on the

troops. he said he was a state senator. he mentioned the surge but didn't say president bush's name one. the politics are complicated. president bush set the time line to be out of iraq by december of 2011. it was the signing event where that iraqi reporter threw his shoes at president bush. and the obama administration tried to negotiate to stay longer but couldn't reach a deal and stayed to the bush time line and the american people give president obama credit for that. >> how soon we forget everything about the iraq war. thank you for the onsite dispatches. coming up what david axelrod said about newt gingrich. but first after the break, is the payroll tax causing infighting on both sides of the aisle?

woman: my father came to america selling fishcakes from the back of his truck, and in 1942, of course, they were sent away. after the war, as a japanese coming back from camp, he started a little store on main street in seattle. of course they needed some money, and bank of america was the only bank who would talk to my father. and we've stayed with bank of america. we have four stores now, three in the pacific northwest and one in oregon. my parents would not believe how popular it is now.

there's an ugly sweater under the christmas tree for democrats, the house version of the payroll tax cut. democrats don't like the bill passed yesterday which includes the keystone pipeline provision. the question is, will the standoff end in a government shutdown? i coined a phrase. i'm quoting myself precipice politics. nothing gets done until the last few minutes. the republican congress has added this attaching it to the pal roll tax cut. what happens? >> if there is a way to do things in the most dramatic manner possible with a midnight press conference we know congress will do that.

there are countless examples in the last year alone. but the history should not be forgotten. a year on republicans in congress did not want to extend the making the work pay tax credit. so what happened in the last year? is it because 2012 is next year? that is clear. now they are attaching not just keystone pipeline but clean air provisions, cutting federal workers. why not just pass this two weeks ago. >> freezing federal worker pay with unemployment insurance decreasing the number of weeks. >> the tax code today has more temporary provisions than ever in american history. if a family had to renegotiate the cable contract every month they would never get around to the concerns of the family. that is what congress is having to do. i have a scooplet. according to the cooks and guards and janitors they have been told they will be working

until late friday night and go home for the year. >> the people expected to make eggs the next morning. what does the president do on this? he has come out and said i'm not going to sign this if keystone is attached and now you have 20 democrats signing with house republicans on this. and they can say there is bipartisanship support. >> he lost 14 republicans in the last vote. >> true. >> the way the vote has got spun is it is a test of boehner's leadership. every vote is a test. it is the ridiculous repetitive motion where he is saying i'm in charge of this unruly bunch of people including the tea party folks. that is the messy politics. there are temporary provisions in here but the republican party's leaderless and the leaders have to reassert the little influence they have. who is doing the negotiations?

the president has to say you have a majority in congress if you get democrats too if you just want the majority no one is leaving for christmas and the hardest deadline is the families back home. that is where the pressure comes from. it's not the bond markets or the people without jobs it's the families. so use it. >> congress are not going their jobs. they are not doing what they were elected to do. and this poll just sticks many my head. 80% of americans want democrats and republicans to work together in congress. the approval rating is going to nose dive to nothing. it's incredible. >> it's worth mentioning in terms of the discord inside the party there was an election for the fifth most powerful -- fifth most powerful person in the senate and it's a fight between tea partiers and establishment republicans. the republicans won out. that is a testament to the cleave in this party. it is time and time again

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a new poll today has good news for both republican front runners which is bad news for the republican party. we talk a lot about newt gingrich and mitt romney on this show. there are new polls out. topics that never exhaust themselves. gingrich is leading romney 40 to 23%. but in a general election match-up, romney is polling in a dead heat and gingrich trailed the president by 11 points and newt has a problem with infeint and swing voters.

is the republican party on a course to elect the unelectable? >> well, look, if that argument -- if electability was the argument that wins primaries president obama would not be president today. >> fair enough. >> romney is running as an incumbent. the republicans don't want to vote for someone who looks and sounds like an incumbent. they want the insurgent. >> they want both. they say they want someone who looks and acts like a president who can beat obama. >> they think they won in 2010 by taking a privet to right. they think the president is a weakling and loser and easy picking here. >> do they? i feel like the national conversation we talk about how the dialogue has changed since 2010 and i am of the belief that the democrats have the wind in their sails for the vision for

america for what obama is proposing and the argument about the american and social compact. >> despite what the poll says about electability people watch mitt romney and newt gingrich and gingrich looks to the voters in the audience like someone who can go head to head with president obama and match him quote for quote. he is dropping references to sarte and orwell. >> what do we make of mitt romney saying in the "washington post" this morning that gingrich is an unreliable leader in the conservative world. i are onic coming from the mouth of mitt romney. i have to play this video from mitt romney circa 2002 when he

is talking about not being a partisan republican and circa now where he would argue he is a partisan republican. >> i'm not a part season republican. i'm moderate and my views are progressive. my views are progressive. >> here's where you don't want to be. you don't want people to get to know you better and like you less. that is what is happening with mitt romney. if you look at the nbc/"wall street journal" poll his negatives went up. that's not where you want to be. newt gingrich we talked about the tea party. this is a guy that they stand up for and they think is a great example. are they going to get him across the finish line? >> is newt gingrich really the representative for the tea party though? >> romney is the default candidate and republicans when they take the default candidate

they lose. so the general republican primary vote is going hang on a minute. you have the elite going oh, my word he was speaking of the house his approval rating was at 31%. when you look at it, enormitino the politician with the most money wins 90% of the time. gingrich's infrastructure is not there. >> it's craigslist. >> when we come back after the break we will discuss the quote heard around the world which is david axelrod saying just remember the higher a monkey climbs on a pole the more you can see his bum. the speaker is high on the pole right now. that's next on "now." coming up on "andrea mitchell reports," newt gingrich rides to the top of the republican pack but facing

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welcome back. we were just talking about david axelrod's quote about newt gingrich being like a monkey on a pole there is a great set of data coming out of the poll that found one in five republicans say this is a strong presidential field. 51% say it is average and 17% say for real? this is all we got? >> at the end of the day you don't have to strong field but just one strong candidate. whether the whole field is strong or not makes not much of

a difference. in any survey of the primary voters the important number is the percentage of undecided voters. until that drops below 50% there is huge opportunities. >> for monkeys to ascend. >> the stark difference between this year and four years ago is that people were excited about hillary clinton and barack obama. they were bringing new people in, women and african-americans who had not voted before. no one is getting a mat romney tattoo for next summer. >> do you know that? >> no one i know of. >> it is a negative election on both sides. the republican side you are looking at them going there is a joke about gingrich that he has more marital baggage than louis vuitton. along with tiffanys. >> luxury goods and newt gingrich go together like peanut

butter and jelly. are we going to see someone else before this is all said and done? >> i don't think so. once you get through the early states the momentum is there and the window of opportunity is there. at the moment you have two-thirds at people not paying attention to what is going on when the early races happen, you know what, if you don't believe in these guys and are not satisfied with them are you in there for a long haul? for mitt romney no. >> i disagree with that. we shall see. that is all we have time wise for today. thank you to my panel. that is all for now. i'll see you back here tomorrow at noon eastern. until then follow up on twitter @nowwithalex. what are the warning signs in our new poll for the republican front runners?

mitt romney looking for conservative magic but in all the wrong places? and the payroll tax extension faces a roadblock on the hill. "andrea mitchell reports" up next. inch holes and blueprints for the coming year? those of us with doers on our lists. and because it's always better to give than to guess, we can take these last few days of shopping and our holiday budgets a lot further. ♪ more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. this 18-volt ryobi starter kit is just 89 bucks. ♪ gives you a 50% annual bonus! so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money.

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right now on "andrea mitchell reports" trouble ahead. our poll reveals major challenges for both republican front runners. gingrich surges among the primary voters but can he win over independents. and will romney convince republicans he is conservative enough? >> i'm not a witch. i'm nothing you've heard. >> payroll tax shootout on capitol hill. the senate is locked and loaded now that the bill has passed the house. and president obama marks the end of the iraq war by thanking the troop