English subtitles for clip: File:2010-01-02 President Obama's Weekly Address.ogv

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President Obama:
It has now been more than a week since the

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attempted act of terrorism aboard that flight
to Detroit on Christmas Day. On Thursday,

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I received the preliminary findings of the
reviews that I ordered into our terrorist

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watchlist system and air travel screening.
I've directed my counterterrorism and homeland

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security advisor at the White House, John
Brennan, to lead these reviews going forward

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and to present the final results and recommendations
to me in the days to come. As I said this

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week, I will do everything in my power to
make sure our hard-working men and women in

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our intelligence, law enforcement and homeland
security communities have the tools and resources

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they need to keep America safe. This includes
making sure these communities, and the people

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in them, are coordinating effectively and
are held accountable at every level. And as

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President, that is what I will do. Meanwhile,
the investigation into the Christmas Day incident

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continues, and we're learning more about
the suspect. We know that he traveled to Yemen,

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a country grappling with crushing poverty
and deadly insurgencies. It appears that he

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joined an affiliate of al Qaeda, and that
this group, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, trained

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him, equipped him with those explosives and
directed him to attack that plane headed for

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America. This is not the first time this group
has targeted us. In recent years, they have

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bombed Yemeni government facilities and Western
hotels, restaurants and embassies; including

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our embassy in 2008, killing one American.
So, as President, I've made it a priority

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to strengthen our partnership with the Yemeni
government -- training and equipping their

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security forces, sharing intelligence and
working with them to strike al Qaeda terrorists.

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And even before Christmas Day, we had seen
the results. Training camps have been struck;

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leaders eliminated; plots disrupted. And all
those involved in the attempted act of terrorism

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on Christmas must know -- you too will be held
to account. But these efforts are only part

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of a wider cause. It's been nearly a year
since I stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol

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and took the oath of office as your President.
And with that oath came the solemn responsibility

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that I carry with me every moment of every
day, the responsibility to protect the safety

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and security of the American people. On that
day I also made it very clear, our nation

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is at war against a far-reaching network of
violence and hatred, and that we will do whatever

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it takes to defeat them and defend our country,
even as we uphold the values that have always

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distinguished America among nations. And make
no mistake, that's exactly what we've

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been doing. It's why I refocused the fight, bringing
to a responsible end the war in Iraq, which

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had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks, and
dramatically increasing our resources in the

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region where al Qaeda is actually based, in
Afghanistan and Pakistan. It's why I've

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set a clear and achievable mission to disrupt,
dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and its extremist

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allies and prevent their return to either
country. And it's why we've forged new

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partnerships, as in Yemen, and put unrelenting
pressure on these extremists wherever they

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plot and train, from East Africa to Southeast
Asia, from Europe to the Persian Gulf. And

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though often out of sight, our progress has
been unmistakable. Along with our partners,

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we've disrupted terrorist financing, cut
off recruiting chains, inflicted major losses

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on al Qaeda's leadership, thwarted plots here
in the United States, and saved countless

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American lives. Yet as the Christmas Day attempt
illustrates, and as we were reminded this

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week by the sacrifices of more brave Americans
in Afghanistan—including those seven dedicated

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men and women of the CIA, the hard work of
protecting our nation is never done. So as

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our reviews continue, let us ask the questions
that need to be asked. Let us make the changes

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that need to be made. Let us debate the best
way to protect the country we all love. That

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is the right and responsibility of every American
and every elected official. But as we go forward,

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let us remember this, our adversaries are
those who would attack our country, not our

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fellow Americans, not each other. Let's
never forget what has always carried us through

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times of trial, including those attacks eight
Septembers ago. Instead of giving in to fear

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and cynicism, let's renew that timeless
American spirit of resolve and confidence

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and optimism. Instead of succumbing to partisanship
and division, let's summon the unity that

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this moment demands. Let's work together,
with a seriousness of purpose, to do what

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must be done to keep our country safe. As
we begin this New Year, I cannot imagine a

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more fitting resolution to guide us-as a
people and as a nation. Happy New Year.