|
|
一年一度的白宫记者协会招待宴会于5月9日在华盛顿的希尔顿饭店举行，估计有2000名美国精英和好莱坞明星参加这次盛宴。美国总统奥巴马是荣誉嘉宾。参加晚宴的还包括前美国副总统候选人莎拉·佩琳和她的丈夫托德。
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Good evening. You know, I
had an entire speech prepared for this wonderful occasion, but now that I’m here
I think I’m going to try something a little different. Tonight I want to speak
from the heart. I’m going to speak off the cuff. (Teleprompters rise.) (Laughter
and applause.)
Good evening. (Laughter.) Pause for laughter. (Laughter.) Wait a minute,
this may not be working as well as I -- (laughter.) Let me try that again.
Good evening, everybody. (Applause.) I would like to welcome you all to the
10-day anniversary of my first 100 days. (Laughter.) I am Barack Obama. Most of
you covered me. All of you voted for me. (Laughter and applause.) Apologies to
the Fox table. (Laughter.) They’re -- where are they? I have to confess I really
did not want to be here tonight, but I knew I had to come -- just one more
problem that I’ve inherited from George W. Bush. (Laughter.)
But now that I’m here, it’s great to be here. It’s great to see all of you.
Michelle Obama is here, the First Lady of the United States. (Applause.) Hasn’t
she been an outstanding First Lady? (Applause.) She’s even begun to bridge the
differences that have divided us for so long, because no matter which party you
belong to we can all agree that Michelle has the right to bare arms. (Laughter
and applause.)
Now Sasha and Malia aren’t here tonight because they’re grounded. You can’t
just take Air Force One on a joy ride to Manhattan. (Laughter.) I don’t care
whose kids you are. (Laughter.) We’ve been setting some ground rules here.
They’re starting to get a little carried away.
Now, speaking -- when I think about children obviously I think about
Michelle and it reminds me that tomorrow is Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day to
all the mothers in the audience. (Applause.) I do have to say, though, that this
is a tough holiday for Rahm Emanuel because he’s not used to saying the word
"day" after "mother." (Laughter.) That’s true. (Laughter.)
David Axelrod is here. You know, David and I have been together for a long
time. I can still remember -- I got to sort of -- I tear up a little bit when I
think back to that day that I called Ax so many years ago and said, you and I
can do wonderful things together. And he said to me the same thing that partners
all across America are saying to one another right now: Let’s go to Iowa and
make it official. (Laughter and applause.)
Michael Steele is in the house tonight. (Applause.) Or as he would say, "in
the heezy." (Laughter.) What’s up? (Laughter.) Where is Michael? Michael, for
the last time, the Republican Party does not qualify for a bailout. (Laughter.)
Rush Limbaugh does not count as a troubled asset, I’m sorry. (Laughter.)
Dick Cheney was supposed to be here but he is very busy working on his
memoirs, tentatively titled, "How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People."
(Laughter.)
You know, it’s been a whirlwind of activity these first hundred days. We’ve
enacted a major economic recovery package, we passed a budget, we forged a new
path in Iraq, and no President in history has ever named three Commerce
Secretaries this quickly. (Laughter.) Which reminds me, if Judd Gregg is here,
your business cards are ready now. (Laughter.)
On top of that, I’ve also reversed the ban on stem cell research, signed an
expansion -- (applause) -- signed an expansion of the children’s health
insurance. Just last week, Car and Driver named me auto executive of the year.
(Laughter.) Something I’m very proud of.
We’ve also begun to change the culture in Washington. We’ve even made the
White House a place where people can learn and can grow. Just recently, Larry
Summers asked if he could chair the White House Council on Women and Girls.
(Laughter.) And I do appreciate that Larry is here tonight because it is seven
hours past his bedtime. (Laughter.) Gibbs liked that one. (Laughter.)
In the last hundred days, we’ve also grown the Democratic Party by infusing
it with new energy and bringing in fresh, young faces like Arlen Specter.
(Laughter.) Now, Joe Biden rightly deserves a lot of credit for convincing Arlen
to make the switch, but Secretary Clinton actually had a lot to do with it too.
One day she just pulled him aside and she said, Arlen, you know what I always
say -- "if you can’t beat them, join them." (Laughter.)
Which brings me to another thing that’s changed in this new, warmer,
fuzzier White House, and that’s my relationship with Hillary. You know, we had
been rivals during the campaign, but these days we could not be closer. In fact,
the second she got back from Mexico she pulled into a hug and gave me a big
kiss. (Laughter.) Told me I’d better get down there myself. (Laughter.) Which I
really appreciated. I mean, it was -- it was nice. (Laughter.)
And of course we’ve also begun to change America’s image in the world. We
talked about this during this campaign and we’re starting to execute. We’ve
renewed alliances with important partners and friends. If you look on the screen
there, there I am with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso. There I am with Gordon
Brown.
But as I said during the campaign, we can’t just talk to our friends. As
hard as it is, we also have to talk to our enemies, and I’ve begun to do exactly
that. Take a look at the monitor there. (Laughter.) Now, let me be clear, just
because he handed me a copy of Peter Pan does not mean that I’m going to read it
-- (laughter) -- but it’s good diplomatic practice to just accept these
gifts.
All this change hasn’t been easy. Change never is. So I’ve cut the tension
by bringing a new friend to the White House. He’s warm, he’s cuddly, loyal,
enthusiastic. You just have to keep him on a tight leash. Every once in a while
he goes charging off in the wrong direction and gets himself into trouble. But
enough about Joe Biden. (Laughter.)
All in all, we’re proud of the change we’ve brought to Washington in these
first hundred days but we’ve got a lot of work left to do, as all of you know.
So I’d like to talk a little bit about what my administration plans to achieve
in the next hundred days.
During the second hundred days, we will design, build and open a library
dedicated to my first hundred days. (Laughter.) It’s going to be big, folks.
(Laughter.) In the next hundred days, I will learn to go off the prompter and
Joe Biden will learn to stay on the prompter. (Laughter.)
In the next hundred days, our bipartisan outreach will be so successful
that even John Boehner will consider becoming a Democrat. After all, we have a
lot in common. He is a person of color. (Laughter.) Although not a color that
appears in the natural world. (Laughter.) What’s up, John? (Laughter.)
In the next hundred days, I will meet with a leader who rules over millions
with an iron fist, who owns the airwaves and uses his power to crush all who
would challenge his authority at the ballot box. It’s good to see you, Mayor
Bloomberg. (Laughter.)
In the next hundred days, we will housetrain our dog, Bo, because the last
thing Tim Geithner needs is someone else treating him like a fire hydrant.
(Laughter.) In the next hundred days, I will strongly consider losing my cool.
(Laughter.)
Finally, I believe that my next hundred days will be so successful I will
be able to complete them in 72 days. (Laughter.) And on the 73rd day, I will
rest. (Laughter.) |
|
发表于 2016-7-11 09:33:47