Obama calls for jobs, tax cuts and health care reform
World
Obama calls for jobs, tax cuts and health care reform
President Barack Obama vowed to make job creation his top priority in 2010, in a bid to restore America's faith in his change crusade after a first year in office soured by economic misery. In his debut State of the Union address, Obama vowed to battle a host of big and difficult challenges which dragged down his administration and demanded unity from Congress to pull the United States out of the mire. I have never been more hopeful about America's future than I am tonight. Despite our hardships, our union is strong. We do not give up. We do not quit, We don?t allow fear or division to break our spirit. Obama vowed that he would not walk away from his stalled effort to pass comprehensive health care reform and said his administration's early actions last year had staved off a repeat of the 1930s Great Depression. The president also promised to redirect 30 billion dollars from a Wall Street bailout fund to help small businesses still reeling from the crisis. Obama turned towards foreign policy only towards the end of an address dominated by economic challenges, warning Iran would face growing consequences if it did not halt its nuclear programme. He said that North Korea was growing ever more isolated as a result of its pursuit of nuclear arms.He said, In Afghanistan, we are increasing our troops and training Afghan Security Forces so they can begin to take the lead in July of 2011, and our troops can begin to come home. We will reward good governance, reduce corruption, and support the rights of all Afghans men and women alike. We are joined by allies and partners who have increased their own commitment, and who will come together tomorrow in London to reaffirm our common purpose. There will be difficult days ahead. But I am confident we will succeed. As we take the fight to al Qaeda, we are responsibly leaving Iraq to its people. As a candidate, I promised that I would end this war, and that is what I am doing as President. We will have all of our combat troops out of Iraq by the end of this August. We will support the Iraqi government as they hold elections, and continue to partner with the Iraqi people to promote regional peace and prosperity. But make no mistake: this war is ending, and all of our troops are coming home, Obama said.
