President Obama At Ft. Campbell: ‘We Are Going To Defeat Al Qaeda’

President Barack Obama visited Ft. Campbell today to welcome our “Screaming Eagles” home and give them a heartfelt thanks for all the work they’ve done in helping rid the world of Osama bin Laden. Vice President Joe Biden kicked things off with an enthusiastic speech to the 101st Airborne Division, sharing a cute lil’ story about his granddaughter’s delight over his trip to visit “the whales” (you know, because they’ve got to be bigger than mere SEALs). He called the raid one of the “gutsiest” ever.

General Jeffrey Colt introduced President Obama, who shook hands with several of the troops before making his way to the podium. The President made sure to mention the nation’s debt of gratitude to our wounded soldiers, adding that these men and women merit the best care for the sacrifices they’ve made.

He also spoke optimistically of our mission abroad. “Because of your service, because of your sacrifice,” he said, “we are making progress in Afghanistan.” He added that we have “broken the Taliban’s momentum” in addition to “disrupting and dismantling” Al Qaeda.

And then, a firm promise: “We are going to defeat Al Qaeda,” said the President. “We have cut off their head, and we will truly defeat them.”

Take a look at the President’s full speech, via C-SPAN:

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