Obama press conference, Nov. 14, 2012

Ambassador, who had nothing to do with Benghazi, and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received, and to besmirch her reputation is outrageous.

And we’ve got a full-blown investigation, and all that information will be disgorged to Congress.

Senator John McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham both said today that they want to have Watergate-style hearings on the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and said that if you nominate Susan Rice to be Secretary of State, they will do everythi

If Republican counterparts or some Democrats have a great idea for us to raise revenue, maintain progressivity, make sure the middle class isn’t getting hit, reduces our deficit, encourages growth, I’m not going to just slam the door in their face.

We are in very close contact with countries like Turkey and Jordan that immediately border Syria and have an impact -- and obviously Israel, which is having already grave concerns, as we do, about, for example, movements of chemical weapons that mi

I think it should include a continuation of the strong border security measures that we’ve taken because we have to secure our borders.

On 9/11, as Commander-in-Chief, did you issue any orders to try to protect their lives?

When you travel around the country, you are inspired by the grit and resilience and hard work and decency of the American people.

THE PRESIDENT:  Look, I believe this is solvable.

We do know that the Arctic ice cap is melting faster than was predicted even five years ago.

Do you think in hindsight --

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I mean, Chuck, what I’ll say is, is that if -- it is also possible that had we been told, then you’d be sitting here asking a question about why were you interfering in a criminal investigation.

On the other hand, I didn’t get reelected just to bask in reelection.

The other option is to pass a law right now that would prevent any tax hike whatsoever on the first $250,000 of everybody’s income.

Yesterday, I had a chance to meet with labor and civic leaders for their input.

And by the way, that means every American, including the wealthiest Americans, get a tax cut.

Certainly no middle-class family can afford that right now.

And then the follow-up to Jessica’s question -- tax rates.

The more engaged we are, the more we'll be in a position to make sure that we are encouraging the most moderate, thoughtful elements of the opposition that are committed to inclusion, observance of human rights, and working cooperatively with us ov

Obviously, making sure that we put into law what the first step that we’ve taken administratively dealing with the DREAM Act kids is very important as well.

Do you want to follow up on that one, too?

And it will not impinge on business investment.

We can eliminate loopholes and deductions that have a distorting effect on our economy.

I was very clear before the campaign, I was clear during the campaign, and I’m now clear after the campaign -- we’re not going to let Iran get a nuclear weapon.

“My hope,” he wrote, “is that we can make progress in light of personal and party principles, special interest groups, and years of business as usual.

I believe that we have to continue to take a serious look at how we reform our entitlements, because health care costs continue to be the biggest driver of our deficits.

And also, what lessons, if any, did Democrats learn from this last election and the Latino vote?

So what I'm going to be doing over the next several weeks, next several months, is having a conversation, a wide-ranging conversation with scientists, engineers, and elected officials to find out what can -- what more can we do to make a short-term

So I’m not either prejudging what he’s interested in doing, nor am I suggesting I’ve got some specific assignment.

And I do think that there should be a pathway for legal status for those who are living in this country, are not engaged in criminal activity, are here simply to work.

That’s traditionally been how we view things, in part because people are innocent until proven guilty, and we want to make sure that we don’t pre-judge these kinds of situations.

I think it should contain serious penalties for companies that are purposely hiring undocumented workers and taking advantage of them.

Q    -- red line.

And exactly what do you envision is broad immigration reform?

And on Iran, are you preparing a final diplomatic push here to resolve the nuclear program issue, and are we headed toward one-on-one talks?

The more engaged we are, the more we'll be in a position to make sure that we are encouraging the most moderate, thoughtful elements of the opposition that are committed to inclusion, observance of human rights, and working cooperatively with us ov

And I think it’s important to establish a basic principle that was debated extensively during the course of this campaign.

And then the follow-up to Jessica’s question -- tax rates.

The business community continues to be concerned about getting enough high-skill workers, and I am a believer that if you’ve got a PhD in physics or computer science who wants to stay here and start a business here, we shouldn’t make it harder for

And the reason I won't do that is because I don’t want to find ourselves in a position six months from now or a year from now where, lo and behold, the only way to close the deficit is to sock it to middle-class families, or to burden families that have <

We’ve got to build on the progress that we’ve made, because this nation succeeds when we’ve got a growing, thriving middle class.

In his endorsement of you a few weeks ago, Mayor Bloomberg said he was motivated by the belief that you would do more to confront the threat of climate change than your opponent.

And it will not impinge on business investment.

You're starting to see a sense of empowerment and civic participation that I think is going to be powerful and good for the country.

Now, on this last item, we face a very clear deadline that requires us to make some big decisions on jobs, taxes and deficits by the end of the year.

And I’ll bring everyone in to sign it right away so we can give folks some certainty before the holiday season.

The business community continues to be concerned about getting enough high-skill workers, and I am a believer that if you’ve got a PhD in physics or computer science who wants to stay here and start a business here, we shouldn’t make it harder for

And that’s the idea at the core of the plan that I talked about on the campaign trail over the last year:  Rewarding manufacturers and small businesses that create jobs here, not overseas; providing more Americans the chance to earn the skills that busine

Does that include a legalization program?

Q    I want to take Chuck’s lead and just ask a very small follow-up, which is whether you feel you have a mandate not just on taxes but on a range of issues because of your decisive victory?

The FBI has its own protocols in terms of how they proceed, and I'm going to let Director Mueller and others examine those protocols and make some statements to the public generally.

EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.

Are you withholding judgment on whether you should have known sooner that there was a potential -- that there was an investigation into whether your CIA Director -- potentially there was a national security breach with your CIA Director -- do you b

If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me.

And I’m ready and willing to make big commitments to make sure that we’re locking in the kind of deficit reductions that stabilize our deficit, start bringing it down, start bringing down our debt.

We can eliminate loopholes and deductions that have a distorting effect on our economy.

I think we can simplify our tax system.

Q    What about voters?

I think it should include a continuation of the strong border security measures that we’ve taken because we have to secure our borders.

I think we can simplify our tax system.

And do you think that you as Commander-in-Chief and the American people should have been told that the CIA chief was under investigation before the election?

I’m more than familiar with all the literature about presidential overreach in second terms.

And I’ve been encouraged over the past week to hear Republican after Republican agree on the need for more revenue from the wealthiest Americans as part of our arithmetic if we’re going to be serious about reducing the deficit.

In his endorsement of you a few weeks ago, Mayor Bloomberg said he was motivated by the belief that you would do more to confront the threat of climate change than your opponent.

On immigration reform, the criticism in the past has been that you did not put forth legislation with specific ideas and send it up to the Hill.

And you meet young people who are doing incredible work in disadvantaged communities because they believe in the American ideal and it should available for everybody.

Obviously, the situation in Syria has deteriorated since then.

The other option is to pass a law right now that would prevent any tax hike whatsoever on the first $250,000 of everybody’s income.

I think that fair-minded people can come to an agreement that does not cause the economy to go back into recession, that protects middle-class families, that focuses on jobs and growth, and reduces our deficit.

Can you assure the American people that there have been no breaches of national security or classified information in the scandal involving Generals Petraeus and Allen?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I have no evidence at this point from what I've seen that classified information was disclosed that in any way would have had a negative impact on our national security.

Because when it comes to taxes, there are two pathways available:  Option one, if Congress fails to act by the end of the year, everybody’s taxes will automatically go up -- including the 98 percent of Americans who make less than $250,000 a year a

She has represented the United States and our interests in the United Nations with skill and professionalism and toughness and grace.

“My hope,” he wrote, “is that we can make progress in light of personal and party principles, special interest groups, and years of business as usual.

Democrats in the House are ready to pass a law like this.

I got elected to do work on behalf of American families and small businesses all across the country who are still recovering from a really bad recession, but are hopeful about the future.

I want to see if we can, at least for the foreseeable future, provide certainty to businesses and the American people so that we can focus on job growth, so that we’re also investing in the things that we need.

And the reason I won't do that is because I don’t want to find ourselves in a position six months from now or a year from now where, lo and behold, the only way to close the deficit is to sock it to middle-class families, or to burden families that have d

I want to see if we can, at least for the foreseeable future, provide certainty to businesses and the American people so that we can focus on job growth, so that we’re also investing in the things that we need.

And is there any point at which the United States would consider arming the rebels?

And I’ve been encouraged over the past week to hear Republican after Republican agree on the need for more revenue from the wealthiest Americans as part of our arithmetic if we’re going to be serious about reducing the deficit.

The business community continues to be concerned about getting enough high-skill workers, and I am a believer that if you’ve got a PhD in physics or computer science who wants to stay here and start a business here, we shouldn’t make it harder for

And I’ll bring everyone in to sign it right away so we can give folks some certainty before the holiday season.

So what I'm going to be doing over the next several weeks, next several months, is having a conversation, a wide-ranging conversation with scientists, engineers, and elected officials to find out what can -- what more can we do to make a short-term progre

And so there are other components to it, obviously.

But to give them the avenue whereby they can resolve their legal status here in this country I think is very important.

Right now, our economy is still recovering from a very deep and damaging crisis, so our top priority has to be jobs and growth.

I do want to emphasize what I’ve said before:  General Petraeus had an extraordinary career.

So what I'm going to be doing over the next several weeks, next several months, is having a conversation, a wide-ranging conversation with scientists, engineers, and elected officials to find out what can -- what more can we do to make a short-term

Q    Mr. President, on the fiscal cliff, two years ago, sir, you said that you wouldn’t extend the Bush-era tax cuts, but at the end of the day, you did.

First of all, I want to reiterate what I said on Friday.

Do you want to follow up on that one, too?

The one thing that I said during the campaign that maybe sounds like a bunch of campaign rhetoric, but now that the campaign is over I am going to repeat it and hopefully you guys will really believe me -- when you travel around the country, you are inspi

Senator John McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham both said today that they want to have Watergate-style hearings on the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and said that if you nominate Susan Rice to be Secretary of State, they will do everythi

It means that 98 percent of all Americans, and 97 percent of all small businesses won’t see their taxes go up a single dime.

Are you withholding judgment on whether you should have known sooner that there was a potential -- that there was an investigation into whether your CIA Director -- potentially there was a national security breach with your CIA Director -- do you b

Obviously, making sure that we put into law what the first step that we’ve taken administratively dealing with the DREAM Act kids is very important as well.

But I think there is still a window of time for us to resolve this diplomatically.

We doubled the production of clean energy, which promises to reduce the utilization of fossil fuels for power generation.

I can’t promise that Iran will walk through the door that they need to walk through, but that would be very much the preferable option.

On spending, the $1.2 trillion trigger, is that something that you can see having a short-term component -- because I remember you said it's not happening --

THE PRESIDENT:  That was a great question, but it would be a horrible precedent for me

And let’s also then commit ourselves to the broader package of deficit reduction that includes entitlement changes and it includes potentially tax reform, as well as I’m willing to look at additional work that we can do on the discretionary spendin

And do you think that you as Commander-in-Chief and the American people should have been told that the CIA chief was under investigation before the election?

Q    Mr. President, on the fiscal cliff, two years ago, sir, you said that you wouldn’t extend the Bush-era tax cuts, but at the end of the day, you did.

We can eliminate loopholes and deductions that have a distorting effect on our economy.

Right now, our economy is still recovering from a very deep and damaging crisis, so our top priority has to be jobs and growth.

But I think it’s fair to say we want to get this resolved, and we’re not going to be constrained by diplomatic niceties or protocols.

So what I'm going to be doing over the next several weeks, next several months, is having a conversation, a wide-ranging conversation with scientists, engineers, and elected officials to find out what can -- what more can we do to make a short-term progre

We have provided every bit of information that we have, and we will continue to provide information.

The FBI has its own protocols in terms of how they proceed, and I'm going to let Director Mueller and others examine those protocols and make some statements to the public generally.

And I’ve been encouraged over the past week to hear Republican after Republican agree on the need for more revenue from the wealthiest Americans as part of our arithmetic if we’re going to be serious about reducing the deficit.

And I’ll bring everyone in to sign it right away so we can give folks some certainty before the holiday season.

And I am a firm believer that climate change is real, that it is impacted by human behavior and carbon emissions.

EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.

And do you think the political will exists in Washington to pass legislation that could include some kind of attacks on carbon?

Q    One quick follow-up, and then I want to ask you about Iran.

It’s important for them to pay back-taxes.

We’ve got to build on the progress that we’ve made, because this nation succeeds when we’ve got a growing, thriving middle class.

And what we can then do is shape a process whereby we look at tax reform -- which I'm very eager to do.

On the other hand, I didn’t get reelected just to bask in reelection.

Because when it comes to taxes, there are two pathways available:  Option one, if Congress fails to act by the end of the year, everybody’s taxes will automatically go up -- including the 98 percent of Americans who make less than $250,000 a year a

We should not hold the middle class hostage while we debate tax cuts for the wealthy.

And that skill set of trying to figure out how do we make something work better applies to the federal government.

Before the election I had given a couple interviews where I predicted that the Latino vote was going to be strong, and that that would cause some reflection on the part of Republicans about their position on immigration reform.

This has not historically been a partisan issue -- we’ve had President Bush and John McCain and others who have supported comprehensive immigration reform in the past.

But I want to stay on Benghazi, based on what Jon asked because you said, if they want to come after me, come after me.

If, on the other hand, we can shape an agenda that says we can create jobs, advance growth, and make a serious dent in climate change and be an international leader, I think that's something that the American people would support.

And that’s the idea at the core of the plan that I talked about on the campaign trail over the last year:  Rewarding manufacturers and small businesses that create jobs here, not overseas; providing more Americans the chance to earn the skills that busine

I'm less concerned about red lines, per se.

It is the fastest-growing group in the country.

And understandably, I think the American people right now have been so focused, and will continue to be focused on our economy and jobs and growth, that if the message is somehow we're going to ignore jobs and growth simply to address climate chang

Can you envision any scenario in which we do go off the fiscal cliff at the end of the year?

We’ve got to build on the progress that we’ve made, because this nation succeeds when we’ve got a growing, thriving middle class.

On the other hand, I didn’t get reelected just to bask in reelection.

And it really is arithmetic; it’s not calculus.

And ultimately, we came together not only to extend the Bush tax cuts, but also a wide range of policies that were going to be good for the economy at that point -- unemployment insurance extensions, payroll tax extension -- all of which made a dif

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, first of all, I’m not going to comment at this point on various nominations that I’ll put forward to fill out my Cabinet for the second term.

Obviously there’s an ongoing investigation.

Just work really hard to see if you can help us get ahead -- because we’re working really hard out here and we’re still struggling, a lot of us.

And let’s also then commit ourselves to the broader package of deficit reduction that includes entitlement changes and it includes potentially tax reform, as well as I’m willing to look at additional work that we can do on the discretionary spendin

So I want a big deal.

One thing that I’m very clear about is that young people who are brought here through no fault of their own, who have gone to school here, pledged allegiance to our flag, want to serve in our military, want to go to school and contribute to our society, t

The math tends not to work.

Right now, our economy is still recovering from a very deep and damaging crisis, so our top priority has to be jobs and growth.

She has represented the United States and our interests in the United Nations with skill and professionalism and toughness and grace.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

East Room

1:34 P.M.

And the reason I won't do that is because I don’t want to find ourselves in a position six months from now or a year from now where, lo and behold, the only way to close the deficit is to sock it to middle-class families, or to burden families that

And I’ve been encouraged over the past week to hear Republican after Republican agree on the need for more revenue from the wealthiest Americans as part of our arithmetic if we’re going to be serious about reducing the deficit.

And we’ve got a full-blown investigation, and all that information will be disgorged to Congress.

We were still very much in the early parts of recovering from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

The FBI has its own protocols in terms of how they proceed, and I'm going to let Director Mueller and others examine those protocols and make some statements to the public generally.

Can you assure the American people that there have been no breaches of national security or classified information in the scandal involving Generals Petraeus and Allen?

She has represented the United States and our interests in the United Nations with skill and professionalism and toughness and grace.

Yesterday, I had a chance to meet with labor and civic leaders for their input.

So what I'm going to be doing over the next several weeks, next several months, is having a conversation, a wide-ranging conversation with scientists, engineers, and elected officials to find out what can -- what more can we do to make a short-term

And that’s the idea at the core of the plan that I talked about on the campaign trail over the last year:  Rewarding manufacturers and small businesses that create jobs here, not overseas; providing more Americans the chance to earn the skills that busine

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, first of all, I’m not going to comment at this point on various nominations that I’ll put forward to fill out my Cabinet for the second term.

But when it comes to the top 2 percent, what I’m not going to do is to extend further a tax cut for folks who don’t need it, which would cost close to a trillion dollars.

And I’m ready and willing to make big commitments to make sure that we’re locking in the kind of deficit reductions that stabilize our deficit, start bringing it down, start bringing down our debt.

We’ve got to build on the progress that we’ve made, because this nation succeeds when we’ve got a growing, thriving middle class.

I want a comprehensive deal.

We have seen extremist elements insinuate themselves into the opposition, and one of the things that we have to be on guard about -- particularly when we start talking about arming opposition figures -- is that we’re not indirectly putting arms in

The only question now is are we going to hold the middle class hostage in order to go ahead and let that happen?

We doubled the production of clean energy, which promises to reduce the utilization of fossil fuels for power generation.

That was the very clear message from the election last week.

But as I’ve said repeatedly, if people don’t think that we did everything we can to make sure that we saved the lives of folks who I sent there and who were carrying out missions on behalf of the United States, then you don’t know how our Defense Depar

I want to see if we can, at least for the foreseeable future, provide certainty to businesses and the American people so that we can focus on job growth, so that we’re also investing in the things that we need.

And historically what you’ve seen is the Latino vote, vote at lower rates than the broader population, and that's beginning to change.

Obviously, the situation in Syria has deteriorated since then.

France has recognized the opposition coalition.

Q    Mr. President, on the fiscal cliff, two years ago, sir, you said that you wouldn’t extend the Bush-era tax cuts, but at the end of the day, you did.

I think that the agricultural sector obviously has very specific concerns about making sure that they’ve got a workforce that helps deliver food to our tables.

And I do think that there should be a pathway for legal status for those who are living in this country, are not engaged in criminal activity, are here simply to work.

We were still very much in the early parts of recovering from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

If despite the election, if despite the dangers of going over the fiscal cliff and what that means for our economy, that there’s too much stubbornness in Congress that we can't even agree on giving middle-class families a tax cut, then middle-class

And that’s the idea at the core of the plan that I talked about on the campaign trail over the last year:  Rewarding manufacturers and small businesses that create jobs here, not overseas; providing more Americans the chance to earn the skills that busine

I’m encouraged to see that the Syrian opposition created an umbrella group that may have more cohesion than they’ve had in the past.

I won’t pretend that figuring out everything else will be easy, but I'm confident we can do it -- and I know we have to.

Q    But when it comes to your relationships with Congress, one of the most frequent criticisms we’ve heard over the past few years from members on both sides is that you haven’t done enough to reach out and build relationships.

And that’s the idea at the core of the plan that I talked about on the campaign trail over the last year:  Rewarding manufacturers and small businesses that create jobs here, not overseas; providing more Americans the chance to earn the skills that

I won’t pretend that figuring out everything else will be easy, but I'm confident we can do it -- and I know we have to.

And it’s very difficult to see how you make up that trillion dollars -- if we’re serious about deficit reduction -- just by closing loopholes and deductions.

What I'm concerned about is not finding ourselves in a situation where the wealthy aren't paying more or aren't paying as much as they should, middle-class families one way or another are making up the difference -- that’s the kind of status quo th

But I think it’s fair to say we want to get this resolved, and we’re not going to be constrained by diplomatic niceties or protocols.

We have seen extremist elements insinuate themselves into the opposition, and one of the things that we have to be on guard about -- particularly when we start talking about arming opposition figures -- is that we’re not indirectly putting arms in the han

I think that fair-minded people can come to an agreement that does not cause the economy to go back into recession, that protects middle-class families, that focuses on jobs and growth, and reduces our deficit.

I want to see if we can, at least for the foreseeable future, provide certainty to businesses and the American people so that we can focus on job growth, so that we’re also investing in the things that we need.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I think what was incredibly encouraging was to see a significant increase in Latino turnout.

And that’s the idea at the core of the plan that I talked about on the campaign trail over the last year:  Rewarding manufacturers and small businesses that create jobs here, not overseas; providing more Americans the chance to earn the skills that

We have seen extremist elements insinuate themselves into the opposition, and one of the things that we have to be on guard about -- particularly when we start talking about arming opposition figures -- is that we’re not indirectly putting arms in

There should be a way in which they can enjoy peaceful nuclear power while still meeting their international obligations and providing clear assurances to the international community that they’re not pursuing a nuclear weapon.

I got elected to do work on behalf of American families and small businesses all across the country who are still recovering from a really bad recession, but are hopeful about the future.

Because when it comes to taxes, there are two pathways available:  Option one, if Congress fails to act by the end of the year, everybody’s taxes will automatically go up -- including the 98 percent of Americans who make less than $250,000 a year a

We are constantly consulting with the opposition on how they can get organized so that they’re not splintered and divided in the face of the onslaught from the Assad regime.

And I think it’s important to establish a basic principle that was debated extensively during the course of this campaign.

Now, on this last item, we face a very clear deadline that requires us to make some big decisions on jobs, taxes and deficits by the end of the year.

And my main hope right now is, is that he and his family are able to move on and that this ends up being a single side note on what has otherwise been an extraordinary career.

And there are people all across this country, millions of folks, who worked so hard to help us get elected, but there are also millions of people who may not have voted for us but are also counting on us.

That doesn’t make sense.

And we’ve got to get to the bottom of it, and there needs to be accountability.

And that’s going to be my guiding principle during these negotiations, but, more importantly, during the next four years of my administration.

This one is hard -- but it’s important because one of the things that we don't always factor in are the costs involved in these natural disasters; we just put them off as something that's unconnected to our behavior right now.

There are a lot of ideas that I don’t think are partisan ideas but are just smart ideas about how can we make the federal government more customer friendly; how can we make sure that we’re consolidating programs that are duplicative; how can we eli

So we're constantly probing and working on that issue.

Now --

Q    (Inaudible.)

But what I said at the time is what I meant, which is this was a one-time proposition.

We do know that there have been extraordinarily -- there have been an extraordinarily large number of severe weather events here in North America, but also around the globe.

And I’ve been encouraged over the past week to hear Republican after Republican agree on the need for more revenue from the wealthiest Americans as part of our arithmetic if we’re going to be serious about reducing the deficit.

And I’ll bring everyone in to sign it right away so we can give folks some certainty before the holiday season.

Q    But when it comes to your relationships with Congress, one of the most frequent criticisms we’ve heard over the past few years from members on both sides is that you haven’t done enough to reach out and build relationships.

We can eliminate loopholes and deductions that have a distorting effect on our economy.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President, and congratulations, by the way.

And that’s the idea at the core of the plan that I talked about on the campaign trail over the last year:  Rewarding manufacturers and small businesses that create jobs here, not overseas; providing more Americans the chance to earn the skills that busine

I’m encouraged to see that the Syrian opposition created an umbrella group that may have more cohesion than they’ve had in the past.

The more engaged we are, the more we'll be in a position to make sure that we are encouraging the most moderate, thoughtful elements of the opposition that are committed to inclusion, observance of human rights, and working cooperatively with us ov

And do you think that you as Commander-in-Chief and the American people should have been told that the CIA chief was under investigation before the election?

And that’s the idea at the core of the plan that I talked about on the campaign trail over the last year:  Rewarding manufacturers and small businesses that create jobs here, not overseas; providing more Americans the chance to earn the skills that

Because when it comes to taxes, there are two pathways available:  Option one, if Congress fails to act by the end of the year, everybody’s taxes will automatically go up -- including the 98 percent of Americans who make less than $250,000 a year a

And that’s the idea at the core of the plan that I talked about on the campaign trail over the last year:  Rewarding manufacturers and small businesses that create jobs here, not overseas; providing more Americans the chance to earn the skills that

I don't want to comment on the specifics of the investigation.

The business community continues to be concerned about getting enough high-skill workers, and I am a believer that if you’ve got a PhD in physics or computer science who wants to stay here and start a business here, we shouldn’t make it harder for

You meet families who are -- have overcome really tough odds and somehow are making it and sending their kids to college.

This has not historically been a partisan issue -- we’ve had President Bush and John McCain and others who have supported comprehensive immigration reform in the past.

So you can expect that you’ll hear more from me in the coming months and years about how we can shape an agenda that garners bipartisan support and helps move this agenda forward.

In his endorsement of you a few weeks ago, Mayor Bloomberg said he was motivated by the belief that you would do more to confront the threat of climate change than your opponent.

Senator John McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham both said today that they want to have Watergate-style hearings on the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and said that if you nominate Susan Rice to be Secretary of State, they will do everything in t

We should not hold the middle class hostage while we debate tax cuts for the wealthy.

And if there’s one thing that I'm pretty confident about is the American people understood what they were getting when they gave me this incredible privilege of being in office for another four years.

Certainly no middle-class family can afford that right now.

It came from a man in Tennessee who began by writing that he didn’t vote for me -- which is okay.

As I’ve said before, I’m open to compromise and I’m open to new ideas.

Right now, our economy is still recovering from a very deep and damaging crisis, so our top priority has to be jobs and growth.

Mr. President, the Assad regime is engaged in a brutal crackdown on its people.

And I’ve been encouraged over the past week to hear Republican after Republican agree on the need for more revenue from the wealthiest Americans as part of our arithmetic if we’re going to be serious about reducing the deficit.

And that’s going to be my guiding principle during these negotiations, but, more importantly, during the next four years of my administration.

But let me just make a few remarks at the top, and then I'll open it up.

By the way, more voters agreed with me on this issue than voted for me.

So you can expect that you’ll hear more from me in the coming months and years about how we can shape an agenda that garners bipartisan support and helps move this agenda forward.

And let’s also then commit ourselves to the broader package of deficit reduction that includes entitlement changes and it includes potentially tax reform, as well as I’m willing to look at additional work that we can do on the discretionary spendin

One of the questions that we’re going to continue to press is making sure that that opposition is committed to a democratic Syria, an inclusive Syria, a moderate Syria.

Yesterday, I had a chance to meet with labor and civic leaders for their input.

In his endorsement of you a few weeks ago, Mayor Bloomberg said he was motivated by the belief that you would do more to confront the threat of climate change than your opponent.

Would closing loopholes instead of raising rates for them satisfy you?

And we continue to invest in potential breakthrough technologies that could further remove carbon from our atmosphere.

And I’ll bring everyone in to sign it right away so we can give folks some certainty before the holiday season.

Can you assure the American people that there have been no breaches of national security or classified information in the scandal involving Generals Petraeus and Allen?

And I’ll meet with leaders of both parties of Congress before the week is out.

Both parties voted to set this deadline.

The business community continues to be concerned about getting enough high-skill workers, and I am a believer that if you’ve got a PhD in physics or computer science who wants to stay here and start a business here, we shouldn’t make it harder for

They deserve all of us here in Washington to be thinking every single day, how can I make things a little better for them -- which isn't to say that everything we do is going to be perfect, or that there aren't just going to be some big, tough challenges

And so, yes, I will try to make a push in the coming months to see if we can open up a dialogue between Iran and not just us, but the international community, to see if we can get this things resolved.

Because when it comes to taxes, there are two pathways available:  Option one, if Congress fails to act by the end of the year, everybody’s taxes will automatically go up -- including the 98 percent of Americans who make less than $250,000 a year a

And the reason I won't do that is because I don’t want to find ourselves in a position six months from now or a year from now where, lo and behold, the only way to close the deficit is to sock it to middle-class families, or to burden families that have <

And I think it’s important to establish a basic principle that was debated extensively during the course of this campaign.

Lori Montenegro, Telemundo.

As we’ve already heard from some Republican commentators, a modest tax increase on the wealthy is not going to break their backs; they’ll still be wealthy.

In his endorsement of you a few weeks ago, Mayor Bloomberg said he was motivated by the belief that you would do more to confront the threat of climate change than your opponent.

But let me say specifically about Susan Rice, she has done exemplary work.

I won’t pretend that figuring out everything else will be easy, but I'm confident we can do it -- and I know we have to.

And I’m ready and willing to make big commitments to make sure that we’re locking in the kind of deficit reductions that stabilize our deficit, start bringing it down, start bringing down our debt.

And ultimately, we came together not only to extend the Bush tax cuts, but also a wide range of policies that were going to be good for the economy at that point -- unemployment insurance extensions, payroll tax extension -- all of which made a dif

There should be a way in which they can enjoy peaceful nuclear power while still meeting their international obligations and providing clear assurances to the international community that they’re not pursuing a nuclear weapon.

If, on the other hand, we can shape an agenda that says we can create jobs, advance growth, and make a serious dent in climate change and be an international leader, I think that's something that the American people would support.

And in fact, some conversations I think are already beginning to take place among senators and congressmen and my staff about what would this look like.

And what we can then do is shape a process whereby we look at tax reform -- which I'm very eager to do.

And would those threats deter you from making a nomination like that?

And should I choose, if I think that she would be the best person to serve America in the capacity of the State Department, then I will nominate her.

I think it is important for us to find out exactly what happened in Benghazi, and I’m happy to cooperate in any ways that Congress wants.

Right now, our economy is still recovering from a very deep and damaging crisis, so our top priority has to be jobs and growth.

We are in very close contact with countries like Turkey and Jordan that immediately border Syria and have an impact -- and obviously Israel, which is having already grave concerns, as we do, about, for example, movements of chemical weapons that might occ

But let me say specifically about Susan Rice, she has done exemplary work.

We are constantly consulting with the opposition on how they can get organized so that they’re not splintered and divided in the face of the onslaught from the Assad regime.

And that’s the idea at the core of the plan that I talked about on the campaign trail over the last year:  Rewarding manufacturers and small businesses that create jobs here, not overseas; providing more Americans the chance to earn the skills that busine

I believe that we have to continue to take a serious look at how we reform our entitlements, because health care costs continue to be the biggest driver of our deficits.

And I’m ready and willing to make big commitments to make sure that we’re locking in the kind of deficit reductions that stabilize our deficit, start bringing it down, start bringing down our debt.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.

We have committed to hundreds of millions of dollars of humanitarian aid to help folks both inside of Syria and outside of Syria.

And on Iran, are you preparing a final diplomatic push here to resolve the nuclear program issue, and are we headed toward one-on-one talks?

And understandably, I think the American people right now have been so focused, and will continue to be focused on our economy and jobs and growth, that if the message is somehow we're going to ignore jobs and growth simply to address climate chang

Senator John McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham both said today that they want to have Watergate-style hearings on the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and said that if you nominate Susan Rice to be Secretary of State, they will do everythi

And that’s the idea at the core of the plan that I talked about on the campaign trail over the last year:  Rewarding manufacturers and small businesses that create jobs here, not overseas; providing more Americans the chance to earn the skills that

And my expectation is, is that we get a bill introduced and we begin the process in Congress very soon after my inauguration.