"This is my one small contribution to the history of our times: To tell the history of our times in the language of our times." - The Rev. James B. Simpson.

Obama addresses cadets at West Point

Afghanistan is not lost, but for several years it has moved backwards…. I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan…. I do not make this decision lightly. I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the epicenter of the violent extremism practiced by al Qaeda. Let me be clear: none of this will be easy. It will be an enduring test of our free society, and our leadership in the world.

— Obama, in an address to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., orders a near tripling of U.S. forces in Afghanistan but promises to begin bringing units home in 18 months. Dec. 1, 2009.

Obama pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey

You know, there are certain days that remind me of why I ran for this office.And, then there are moments like this, where I pardon a turkey and send it to Disneyland. I was planning to eat this sucker.

— Obama, performing the annual presidential ritual of pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey, Nov. 25, 2009.

Obama's firsth White House State Dinner

Tonight, under the stars, we celebrate the spirit that will sustain our partnership -- the bonds of friendship between our people. It's a bond that includes more than two million Indian Americans who enrich every corner of our great nation -- leaders in government, science, industry and the arts -- some of whom join us tonight. And it's the bond of friendship between a President and a Prime Minister who are bound by the same unshakable spirit of possibility and brotherhood that transformed both our nations -- a spirit that gave rise to movements led by giants like Gandhi and King, and which are the reason that both of us can stand here tonight.

— Obama’s toast at his first White House state dinner (Nov. 24, 2009), honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The event was held in a large candlelit tent on the White House lawn. The event became legendary due to a security breach in which a Virginia couple attempting to be on a reality television show got into the dinner without the proper security clearance.

Obama's first presidential visit to Asia

We are bound by our people – by the Asian Americans who enrich every segment of American life. My own life is a part of that story. I am an American president who was born in Hawaii and lived in Indonesia as a boy…. I know there are many who question how the United States perceives China’s emergence. In an interconnected world, power does not need to be a zero-sum game, and nations need not fear the success of another.

— Obama, giving a major speech on Nov. 14, 2009 in Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, on his first presidential trip to Asia, which included stops in Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul. Obama’s main theme was that an era of American disengagement in the globe’s fastest-growing region has ended.

Obama pays tribute to veterans

We honor your service. We are forever grateful. and, just as you have not forgotten your missing comrades, neither, ever, will we. Our servicemen and women have been doing right by America for generations. And, as long as I am commander in chief, America's going to do right by them.

— Obama, at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery-Nov. 10, 2009.

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