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President Obama: Hello, everybody.
Earlier this week, I spoke about our way forward in Afghanistan,
and I said that because the extraordinary work of our men
and women in uniform, civilians, and our coalition partners,
we will soon begin bringing our troops home,
just as we've begun doing in Iraq.
After a decade of conflict, we're finally bringing these
wars to a responsible end.
That's in the best interest of America's security.
And it's also in the best interest of America's economy.
Even though we've turned our economy in the right direction
over the past couple of years, many Americans are still
hurting, and now is the time to focus on nation building
here at home.
Of course, there's been a real debate about where to invest and
where to cut, and I'm committed to working with members of both
parties to cut our deficits and debt.
But we can't simply cut our way to prosperity.
We need to do what's necessary to grow our economy;
create good, middle class jobs; and make it possible for all
Americans to pursue their dreams.
That means giving our kids the best education in the world so
they have the knowledge and skills to succeed in
this economy.
It means rebuilding our crumbling roads, railways,
and runways.
And it means investing in the cutting edge research and
technologies that will spur growth in the years ahead --
from clean energy to advanced manufacturing.
That's why I'm here today at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh,
one of America's leading research universities.
Behind me is a display from a company called RedZone Robotics.
The robots they make are used to explore water and sewage pipes,
and find leaks and breaks before they become expensive problems.
But the folks at RedZone aren't just solving problems;
they're working with unions to create new jobs operating the
robots, and they're saving cities millions of dollars in
infrastructure costs.
This company is just one example of how advanced manufacturing
can help spur job creation and economic growth across
this country.
That's why this week, we launched what we're calling an
Advanced Manufacturing Partnership.
It's a partnership that brings our federal government together
with some of America's most brilliant minds and some of
America's most innovative companies and manufacturers.
Their mission is to come up with a way to get ideas from the
drawing board to the manufacturing floor to the
marketplace as swiftly as possible,
which will help create quality jobs,
and make our businesses more competitive.
But they also have a broader mission.
It's to renew the promise of American manufacturing.
To help make sure America remains in this century what we
were in the last -- a country that makes things.
A country that out-builds and out-innovates the rest
of the world.
I know these have been tough years for American
manufacturing, and all the workers and families who've
built their lives around it.
But being here in Pittsburgh, I'm hopeful about the future.
I'm hopeful when I think about how companies like RedZone are
reinvigorating manufacturing or about how what started as a
small trade school is now a global research university.
We're a people who've always adapted to meet the challenges
of a new time; who've always shaped our own destiny,
and I'm absolutely confident that that's what we're going to
do one more time.
Have a great weekend.
Bye bye.