Opening a New Era of Diplomacy under President Obama

16 September 2009

Remarks to the Pilgrims of Great Britain
London

My Lord President, Mr. Chairman, Members of the Pilgrims, My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is an honor to deliver my first speech as the Ambassador to such a prestigious group.

Any organization that was founded more than a century ago, yet still maintains its relevance in today's world deserves a lot of credit.

I come from the Midwest, the heartland of America, and my life to me embodies the cherished concept that through hard work and perseverance, the American Dream is accessible to all.

For me, this opportunity to represent the United States of America — the culmination of a rewarding 45-year career as a lawyer, leader, banker and philanthropist — is a chance to repay my debt to the country that made living this dream possible.

A little background on myself and my family.

On July first of this year, I celebrated my 50th wedding anniversary with Marjorie, who is not only my wife but my best friend as well.  I am very pleased that she is with us here tonight.

During one of the State Department orientation sessions for spouses, it was explained that the spouse had a very important job.  It seems that ambassadors have a tendency to get “elephantitis” of the ego -- and the spouses are needed to keep them grounded in reality.  Marjorie Susman quickly raised her hand to announce to the group that after 50 years of marriage she would have no trouble keeping the Ambassador to the Court of St. James's very well grounded.

I have two wonderful and successful children and three even more wonderful granddaughters who have already visited with us in London. I can report that they enthusiastically approve of Winfield House.

I have had a wonderful and exciting professional career. I was a senior partner in a law firm in St. Louis for many years.  I moved to Chicago in 1989 to become an investment banker and partner in Salomon Brothers, which eventually — after many mergers — became Citigroup.

I retired in January of this year as the Vice Chairman of the Global Investment Bank.

In February when I heard from the President's office that he intended to nominate me to become the Ambassador TO the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, one might say — as my children had predicted — “I had flunked retirement.”

One of the most interesting aspects of my career was my association with the St. Louis Cardinals, a professional baseball team.  I became the President of the Cardinals through my representation of August Busch Jr.  — The patriarch of the Anheuser Busch brewing group and the owner of the Cardinals.

The Cardinals were fortunate enough to have been in three World Series during my tenure — and I'm very proud of the rings I've received as a result.

I know the World Series is a touchy subject among many of you who can't understand how we Americans have the nerve to call something the World Series when only teams from the US and Canada actually compete.

It may not be appropriate to discuss such a sensitive subject this evening, but rest assured I have members of my staff hard at work helping me understand the finer points of that more straightforward game — cricket.

While I have been associated with the Democratic Party my entire adult life, I was extremely proud to have been nominated by a great Republican, President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to serve on the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy -- a bipartisan panel created by Congress and appointed by the President to advise on matters of public diplomacy. That particular experience gave me a greater understanding of the vital role that our diplomats play.

 I've had the good fortune to travel frequently to this country.  And very quickly on, I came to appreciate the warmth, the straightforwardness and the essential goodness of the British people. Given my familiarity — and love — of this country, the prospect of becoming part of its fabric is something that Marjorie and I are very excited about it.

Politics have played a very important part of my life. I've had the honor of helping presidential and congressional candidates in their quest for office.

In 2002, Barack Obama was a candidate for the United States Senate and I was the National Finance Chairman for Senator John Kerry in his presidential bid. I had the distinct honor of introducing Barack Obama to Senator Kerry — an introduction that led to his famous keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 — a speech that launched Barack Obama into the national spotlight.

One does not have to be in Barack Obama's  company for long to realize just how intelligent and emotionally grounded he is — I would go so far to say he is  the most intelligent politician I've ever met and I've known quite a few.

As everyone knows, he is also one of the most gifted orators of our time — in the tradition of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan — and of course, Winston Churchill.   

He has inspired all generations — young and old — all over the world.

The President has opened a new era in American history — one of transparency, humility and partnership - a different approach to the world.

I became rather close to the President during the campaign, but even so — I was unprepared for just how much his campaign and eventual election electrified the United States and the rest of the world.

It was particularly moving for the President — as well as for all of us who worked with him — to see how his own popularity was translating into respect and new found admiration for the United States.  I was particularly pleased by how the people of the United Kingdom have enthusiastically accepted President Obama as a man who is prepared to engage the world in ways that have not been seen for some time.

We live in challenging times: Two wars — Afghanistan and Iraq — the challenges of the Middle East and Iran -- the need to address climate change, global economic stability and — of course — the threat to all our citizens from extremists that desire to do us harm.

But before I comment on the American position on those critical issues, I want to express my thanks and admiration for the incredible courage, service, and sacrifice of the British troops in Afghanistan.  We are all aware that there is no greater decision for a president or a prime minister to make - than that which sends the men and women of their armed forces into harms way.

We truly appreciate the unwavering commitment of the British government to support the NATO mission in that country.

In Afghanistan and Pakistan, we must be absolutely clear about why we are in this fight.  I think President Obama put it best.  Our mission is to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaida and its allies, and prevent them from ever returning.

We can not forget that Pakistan is an important part of our challenge. I am happy to report that we have made very substantial progress with the Pakistani government in dismantling al-Qaida in that country.

We face hard times ahead in Afghanistan, but I have confidence in General David Petraeus and his colleagues who have the experience, the expertise and the right strategy to achieve our goals.

The struggle in Afghanistan will not be solved with a purely military approach.  The people of Afghanistan must take charge of their own future.

We are doing everything we can to help — whether it's rebuilding their agriculture and infrastructure, creating jobs, expanding opportunities for women, or training the Afghan police and armed forces. 

We are working alongside our British colleagues to help Afghans bring water to their villages, build schools and establish the rule of law. 

But — as I've stated before — the underlying strategy is that Afghanistan must ultimately do the job itself — that of course is the main challenge.

Evidence that the Afghans are starting down this path can be found in their resolve to hold presidential and parliamentary elections.  We commend the Afghan people for their courage in conducting the elections despite the threat of violence. This is not a quick, easy or perfect process — but it is an Afghan-led process — and we should let it run its course before we judge the outcome.

On Iran, our options are limited and difficult. Working with our partners, who include the United Kingdom, we are attempting to engage Iran in a dialogue that would eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons.

We have said to Iran that the choice really is theirs to make.  Iran can continue down this path of isolation from the international community, or it can drop its threatening behavior and become a responsible global citizen.

In the Middle East, the commitment of the United States to Israel's security is and will remain unshakeable — I repeat unshakeable.

We believe it can best be achieved through comprehensive peace in the region.  That includes a two-state solution with a Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel.  This is the ultimate goal to which the President is deeply and personally committed.   We hope to see progress soon.

On the topic of climate change, Secretary of State Clinton says it is about more than science.  It is a political challenge, an economic force, a security threat, and a moral imperative.

We Americans are serious about leading on this issue, and we know we will have to make some tough decisions and take some concrete actions.  While we are moving ahead on the domestic front, America believes that all the major economies and advanced developing nations have a special responsibility to pull together and work toward a successful outcome at the UN climate negotiations later this year in Copenhagen. 

Lastly -- we believe the economic crisis has finally bottomed out — but that the recovery will be slow. I was glad to see that Bank of England governor Mervyn King reiterated that point yesterday.

The global economy — which remains fragile — reminds us that we can not be complacent. We must be vigilant in pursuing the necessary tools to accelerate recovery and prevent another crisis.

The financial turmoil behind this global downturn is something I have never seen before, after decades in the banking industry.   As the countries with the largest and deepest financial markets, the United States and the United Kingdom must continue working together to create solutions to the problems behind the current downturn.

President Obama and Prime Minister Brown will be working together at the upcoming G-20 summit in Pittsburgh to continue the momentum begun at the previous meeting in March in London.

The President and the Prime Minister are continuing to push forward in strengthening transparency and accountability, enhancing sound regulation, promoting integrity in financial markets, reinforcing international cooperation and reforming international financial institutions.

President Obama just this week made it very clear that the status quo of high risk-taking, short-term profits and excessive bonuses — will not continue.  He emphasized it is the responsibility of all us to ensure we do not become complacent about the challenges in front of us.

As these issues — and many others — are addressed, the guiding philosophy of President Obama and Secretary Clinton is to use “smart power” and build partnerships. We will engage — with our foes as well as our friends -- we will consult and cooperate with all of our partners.

We do not look at any continent or any region as “old and out of date” — but we embrace the knowledge and expertise of all to solve problems facing the world today.

Over the last few months, there has been comment in some circles that the “special relationship” between our countries has diminished. Anyone who accepts that analysis is wrong -- and is ignoring the lessons of history.

In war and peace, in prosperity and in time of economic hardship, America has no better friend and no more dependable ally than the United Kingdom.

We won't always agree on everything.  Friends rarely do. But friends also don't let disagreements undermine the foundation of the relationship.

Our nations are deeply rooted in our enduring values of democracy, rule of law and tolerance; a shared history, culture and language, and a mutual ability and willingness to bring real diplomatic, financial and military assets to the table for joint action to promote and defend our common interests.

All that we do together is based on the profound belief that freedom is the bedrock of true peace and prosperity.  The challenges may have changed from 70 years ago when WWII confronted us with its deadly peril.  But as we see today in Afghanistan, and in Iraq, these are still times when we must — together - defend this belief against those with a much darker vision of the world.

On December 26, 1941 — less than three weeks after Pearl Harbor and two years after the start of the war in Europe -- Winston Churchill came to Washington to speak to a joint meeting of our Congress.

I truly believe his words are worth remembering:

“In the days to come the British and American peoples will for their own safety and for the good of all, walk together side by side in majesty, in justice and in peace.”

Tonight we gather here as citizens of the two nations who have once again pledged to put an end to the extremists who threaten the whole world.

Ladies and gentlemen, my generation was able to thrive because of the relationship the United Kingdom forged with the United States.

Future generations will be given their own opportunity to make their marks upon the world because that relationship continues to this day.

While the United States of America -- and this ambassador — has many priorities -- I hope I have made it clear tonight that my principal priority will be to strengthen and nourish this special relationship — which is so critical to the United States.

Thank you.