Prost!

Obama, Merkel exchange toasts, compliments at Tuesday State Dinner.

THE WHITE HOUSE
June 7, 2011

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL IN AN EXCHANGE OF TOASTS

Rose Garden

7:31 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good evening. Guten abend. Michelle and I are honored to welcome you as we host Chancellor Merkel, Professor Sauer, and the German delegation for the first official visit and State Dinner for a European leader during my presidency. (Applause.)

Angela, you and the German people have always shown me such warmth during my visits to Germany. I think of your gracious hospitality in Dresden. I think back to when I was a candidate and had that small rally in Berlin’s Tiergarten. (Laughter.) So we thought we’d reciprocate with a little dinner in our Rose Garden.

Now, it’s customary at these dinners to celebrate the values that bind nations. Tonight, we want to do something different. We want to pay tribute to an extraordinary leader who embodies these values and who’s inspired millions around the world -- including me -- and that’s my friend, Chancellor Merkel.

More than five decades ago -- in 1957 -- the first German chancellor ever to address our Congress, Konrad Adenauer, spoke of his people’s “will of freedom” and of the millions of his countrymen forced to live behind an Iron Curtain. And one of those millions, in a small East German town, was a young girl named Angela.

She remembers when the Wall went up and how everyone in her church was crying. Told by the communists that she couldn’t pursue her love of languages, she excelled as a physicist. Asked to spy for the secret police, she refused. And the night the Wall came down, she crossed over, like so many others, and finally experienced what she calls the “incredible gift of freedom.”

Tonight, we honor Angela Merkel not for being denied her freedom, or even for attaining her freedom, but for what she achieved when she gained her freedom. Determined to finally have her say, she entered politics -- rising to become the first East German to lead a united Germany, the first woman chancellor in German history, and an eloquent voice for human rights and dignity around the world.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest honor a President can bestow on a civilian. Most honorees are Americans; only a few others have received it, among them Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, and Helmut Kohl. So please join me in welcoming Chancellor Merkel for the presentation of the next Medal of Freedom. (Applause.)

MILITARY AIDE: Presidential Medal of Freedom to Dr. Angela Merkel. Dr. Angela Merkel came to symbolize the triumph of freedom by becoming the first East German to serve as chancellor of a united Federal Republic of Germany. She also made history when she became Germany’s first female chancellor. A dedicated public servant, Chancellor Merkel has promoted liberty and prosperity in her own country, in Europe, and throughout the world.

[The medal is presented.]

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You can all applaud. (Laughter and applause.)

I’ve got to do the toast. (Laughter.) I want to conclude by inviting all of you to stand and join me in a toast. And I want to do so with the words that Angela spoke two years ago when she became the first German leader to address our Congress since Chancellor Adenauer all those decades ago.

Her words spoke not only to the dreams of that young girl in the East, but to the dreams of all who still yearn for their rights and dignity today: to freedom, which “must be struggled for, and then defended anew, every day of our lives.”

Cheers. Zum wohl. (Applause.)

CHANCELLOR MERKEL: (As translated.) Mr. President, dear Barack, dear Michelle, ladies and gentlemen -- the first political event during my childhood that I distinctly remember is the building of the Berlin Wall 50 years ago. I was seven years old at the time. Seeing the grownups around me, even my parents, so stunned that they actually broke out in tears, was something that shook me to the core. My mother’s family were separated through the building of the Wall.

I grew up in the part of Germany that was not free, the German Democratic Republic. For many years, I dreamt of freedom, just as many others did. Also of the freedom to travel to the United States. And I already had planned this out for the day that I would reach retirement age. That was the age of 60 for men -- sorry, for women at the time, and 65 for men. So we as women were somewhat privileged at the time. (Laughter.)

But imagining that I would one day stand in the Rose Garden of the White House and receive the Medal of Freedom from an American President, that was certainly beyond even my wildest dreams. And believe me, receiving this prestigious award moves me deeply.

My thanks go to the American people, first and foremost, for this extraordinary honor, knowing full well how much you have done for us Germans. And I thank you personally, Mr. President, because you are a man of strong convictions. You touch people with your passion and your visions for a good future for these people, also in Germany.

You have been able time and again to put down important international goalposts, injecting issues such as disarmament, the question of how to shape our relations with the countries of the Middle East, and last but not least, the Middle East -- the solution to the Middle East conflict with new dynamism.

Mr. President, I see the award of the Medal of Freedom as a testimony of the excellent German-American partnership. Our countries stand up together for peace and freedom.

History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their fears and openly confront dictators such as in East Germany and Eastern Europe about 22 years ago.

Some of those courageous men and women are with me here tonight. And the Medal of Freedom you so kindly bestowed on me, you also bestowed on them.

The yearning for freedom cannot be contained by walls for long. It was this yearning that brought down the Iron Curtain that divided Germany and Europe, and indeed the world, into two blocs.

America stood resolutely on the side of freedom. It is to this resolve that we Germans owe the unity of our country in peace and freedom.

Also today, the yearning for freedom may well make totalitarian regimes tremble and fall. We have followed with great interest and empathy the profound changes in North Africa and in the Arab world.

Freedom is indivisible. Each and every one has the same right to freedom, be it in North Africa or Belarus, in Myanmar or Iran.

Still, the struggle for freedom is demanding far too many sacrifices, and claiming far too many victims. My thoughts are with our soldiers, our policemen, and the many, many volunteers who try to help. I humbly bow to all those who risk their lives for the cause of freedom.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the horrible attacks of 9/11. Over the past 10 years, we have stepped up significantly our joint fight against terror and for freedom and this in many ways.

We see that living in freedom and defending freedom are two sides of one and the same coin, for the precious gift of freedom doesn’t come naturally, but has to be fought for, nurtured, and defended time and time again.

Sometimes this may seem like an endless fight against windmills. But you see, my personal experience is a quite different one. What we dare not dream of today may well become reality tomorrow.

(Speaking in English.) Neither the chains of dictatorship nor the fetters of oppression can keep down the forces of freedom for long. This is my firm conviction that shall continue to guide me. In this, the Presidential Medal of Freedom shall serve to spur me on and to encourage me.

Mr. President, thank you for honoring me with this prestigious award. (Applause.)

END 7:51 P.M. EDT

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the First Lady

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2011

Expected Attendees at Tonight’s State Dinner

Below is a list of expected attendees at tonight’s State Dinner. Attached are details about the State Dinner, also available here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/germany_state_visit.pdf.

THE PRESIDENT and MRS. OBAMA

Her Excellency Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
Professor Dr. Joachim Sauer

Ms. Naomi Aberly, Dallas, TX
Mr. Larry Lebowitz

Mr. Jeremy Alters, Hallandale Beach, FL
Ms. Lina Guerrero, Miami, FL

Mr. Leo Apotheker, Palo Alto, CA

The Honorable Jorg Asmussen, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Washington, DC

Mr. Mark Ayers, Alexandria, VA
Mrs. Deborah Ayers

Mr. Stewart W Bainum, Chevy Chase, MD
Mrs. Sandra Bainum

The Honorable Tom Barrett, Mayor of Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Mrs. Kris Barrett

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice President of the United States
Dr. Jill Biden, Spouse of the Vice President of the United States

Mr. David Billings, Washington, DC
Mrs. Rebecca Goodhart

Mr. Stephen Bittel, Miami Beach, FL
Mrs. Sabine Bittel, Coconut Grove, FL

The Honorable Antony Blinken, Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President, Office of the Vice President, Washington, DC

Ms. Sara Bloomfield, Washington, DC

Professor Dr. Wolfgang Bohmer, Former Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt

Mr. Volker Bouffier, Minister-President of Hessen

Mr. Ulrich Braess, Washington, DC
Mrs. Dorothea Braess

The Honorable John Brennan, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, National Security Council, Washington, DC
Mrs. Katherine Brennan

Mr. Robert E Buccini, Wilmington, DE
Mrs. Elizabeth Buccini

The Honorable William Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC

General James E Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Fort Myer, VA

Mr. Robert Clark, St. Louis, MO
Ms. Raschelle Burton

The Honorable Hillary R. Clinton, Secretary, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC

The Honorable Daniel Coats, United States Senator
Mrs. Marsha Coats, Spouse of United States Senator

Mr. John Cooney, Chicago, IL
Mrs. Barbara Cooney

The Honorable Tom Corbett, Governor of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA

The Honorable Jon Corzine, Former Governor of New Jersey
Mrs. Sharon Corzine

Ms. Sevim Dagdelen, Member of the Federal Parliament, The Left, Washington, DC

The Honorable William Daley, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, Washington, DC
Ms. Bernadette Keller

H.E. Dr. Thomas de Maiziere, Federal Minister of Defense

General Martin Dempsey, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, Fort Myers, VA
Mrs. Deanie Dempsey

Mr. Kai Diekmann, Editor in Chief Bild/Bild am Sonntag

Mr. E.J. Dionne, Bethesda, MD
Ms. Mary Boyle

The Honorable Thomas Donilon, Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor, NSC, Washington, DC
Ms. Cathy Russell, Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden

Mr. Kirk Dornbush, Atlanta, GA
Mrs. Barb Dornbush

Mr. William Drozdiak, New York, NY
Ms. Natalia Drozdiak, Bridgehampton, NY

Mr. David Duffy, North Kingstown, RI
Mrs. Heidi Duffy

Mrs. Leni Eccles, Belvedere, CA
Ms. Norma Douglas, Sun Valley, ID

Ms. Susan Eisenhower, Washington, DC
Mr. Bucky Clarkson, Jacksonville, FL

Mr. Christoph Eschenbach, Washington, DC
Ms. Jeanette Weaver Ruesch, Chevy Chase, MD

Mr. Richard Fante, AstraZeneca, Newtown Square, PA
Mrs. Janine Fante

Dr. Daniel E Fass, Klapper and Fass, Scarsdale, NY
Mrs. Jessica Fass, Riverside, CT

Mr. Otto Fricke, Member of the German Bundestag, CDU/CSU

H.E. Dr Hans-Peter Friedrich, Federal Minister of the Interior

Mrs. Carol Fulp, Oak Bluffs, MA
Mr. Bernie Fulp, Boston, MA

Mr. Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles, CA
Ms. Amy Wakeland

The Honorable Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC
Mrs. Carole Geithner, Spouse of The Honorable Timothy Geithner

Mr. Robert J Gillette, Tempe, AZ
Ms. Lisa Bunch, Phoenix, AZ

The Honorable Austan Goolsbee, Chair, Council of Economic Advisors, Washington, DC
Mrs. Robin Goolsbee

The Honorable Philip Gordon, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC
Mrs. Rachel Gordon

Mr. Thomas Gottschalk, Master of Ceremonies of TV Show

Dr. Emily Haber, Political Director of the Federal Foreign Office

Mr. Robert D Hansen, Midland, MI
Mrs. Kathleen L Hansen

Mr. Thomas Hesse, New York, NY
Ms. Gwendolyn Bellmann

Dr. Christoph R Heusgen, Advisor to the Chancellor, Washington, DC

Mr. Bruce Heyman, Chicago, IL
Mrs. Vicki Heyman

Mr. Doug T Hickey, San Francisco, CA
Ms. Dawn Ross

Mr. James Hoffa, Washington, DC
Ms. Meaghan Wolff

Ms. Kate Hughes, Princeton, NJ
Mr. Robert J Del Tufo

Mr. Helmut Jahn, Chicago, IL
Mrs. Deborah L Jahn

The Honorable Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor, Washington, DC

Professor Dr. Hans-Peter Keitel, President, Federation of German Industry

Mr. Craig Kennedy, Washington, DC
Ms. Karen Guberman

Ms. Lena Kennedy, Pasadena, CA
Ms. Teena Hostovich, La Canada, CA

Mrs. Katja Keul, Member of Parliament, Alliance 90/The Greens

Mr. Klaus Kleinfeld, Port Chester, NY
Mrs. Birgit Kleinfeld

Mrs. Freya Klier, Author

Mr. Jurgen Klinsmann, German Football Manager and Former Player

The Honorable Amy Klobuchar, United States Senator
Mr. John Bessler, United States Senate Spouse

Dr. Hans-Ulrich Klose, Member of the German Bundestag, CDU/CSU

Mr. Stefan Kornelius, Washington, DC

Dr. Bernhard Kotsch, Deputy Head of the Chancellor’s Office

Mr. David Leonhardt, Bethesda, MD
Mrs. Laura Leonhardt

Mr. Daniel Libeskind, New York, NY
Ms. Nina Lewis-Libeskind

Mr. Bryan Lourd, Beverly Hills, CA
Mr. Bruce Bozzi, Los Angleles, CA

The Honorable Nita Lowey, United States Representative
Mr. Stephen Lowey, United States Representative Spouse

Mr. Noah Mamet, Marina Del Rey, CA
Ms. Jennifer P Lindberg, Los Angeles, CA

The Honorable Capricia Penavic Marshall, Chief of Protocol, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC

Ms. Marissa Mayer, San Francisco, CA
Mr. Zachary Bogue

The Honorable Mitch McConnell, United States Senator, Republican Leader
The Honorable Ms. Elaine L. Chao, Spouse of United States Senator

Mr. Robert A McDonald, Cincinnati, OH
Mrs. Diane McDonald

The Honorable Denis McDonough, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor, NSC, Washington, DC
Mrs. Karin McDonough

The Honorable Gregory W. Meeks, United States Representative
Mrs. Simone-Marie Meeks, Spouse of United States Representative

Ms. Darlene M Miller, Burnsville, MN
Ms. Terry Lee Strout, Minneapolis, MN

The Honorable Karen Mills, Administrator, Small Business Administration, Washington, DC

The Honorable Norman Y. Mineta, Edgewater, MD
Mrs. Deni D. Mineta

Ms. Elizabeth Mohn, Washington, DC
Mr. Markus Dohle

Mr. Andreas Muhe, Photographer

Mr. Stefan Muller, Member of the German Bundestag, CDU/CSU

The Honorable Philip Murphy, U.S. Ambassador to Germany, State Department, Washington, DC
Mrs. Tammy Murphy

The Honorable Thomas Nides, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Department of State, Washington, DC
Ms. Virginia Moseley

The Honorable Samuel Nunn, Washington, DC
Mrs. Colleen Nunn, Atlanta, GA

Mr. Samuel Palmisano, Armonk, NY

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, United States Representative, Democratic Leader
Mr. Paul Pelosi, Spouse of United States Representative

Mr. Antonio M Perez, Rochester, NY
Mrs. Lori Perez, Pittsford, NY

The Honorable David Plouffe, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor, Washington, DC
Ms. Olivia Morgan

Mr. Douglas Rediker, Washington, DC

The Honorable Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, Office of the Vice President, Washington, DC
Ms. Bonnie LePard

The Honorable Susan Rice, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, New York, NY
Mr. Ian Cameron

The Honorable John G. Roberts, The Chief Justice of the United States
Mrs. Jane Roberts

Mr. James Rogers, Charlotte, NC
Mrs. Mary Anne Rogers

Dr. Irene B Rosenfeld, Northfield, IL
Mr. Richard Illgen, Kenilworth, IL

H.E. Dr Philipp Rosler, Federal Minister of Economics and Technology

Ms. Diane Sawyer, New York, NY

His Excellency Dr. Klaus Scharioth, Germany’s Ambassador to the United States, Washington, DC
Mrs. Ulrike Scharioth

H.E. Dr. Wolfgang Schauble, Federal Minister of Finance

Mr. Eric Schmidt, Mountain View, CA

Mr. Olaf Scholz, First Mayor of Hamburg

Mr. Jurgen Schulz, Head of Division, Federal Chancellery

Mr. Jon Schumacher, Saint Paul, MN
Ms. Mary J Briggs

Mr. Jerry Seib, Chevy Chase, MD
Ms. Barbara Rosewicz

The Honorable Steffen Seibert, State Secretary, Spokesman of the Federal Government

The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen, United States Senator
Mr. William Shaheen, Spouse of United States Senator

Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs, NSC, Washington, DC
Dr. Jeffrey Randall

The Honorable Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC
Mrs. Patty Shinseki, Spouse of The Honorable Eric Shinseki

The Honorable Jim Steinberg, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC
Ms. Sherburne B. Abbott

The Honorable Ellen Tauscher, Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC
Mr. James Cieslak

Mr. James Taylor, Burbank, CA
Mrs. Caroline Taylor

The Honorable Tina Tchen, Chief of Staff, Office of the First Lady, Washington, DC

Dr. Steven L Ullestad, Northeastern Iowa Synod, Cedar Falls, IA
Mrs. Ruth Ullestad

Mr. Bernd Ulrich, Deputy Editor in Chief of Weekly Newspaper Die Zeit

Mr. Arnold Vaatz, Member of the German Bundestag, CDU/CSU

The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC

The Honorable Debbie Wasserman Schultz, United States Representative
Mr. Steven Schultz, Spouse of United States Representative

Mr. Perry Weitz, Huntington Bay, NY
Mrs. Felicia Weitz

H.E. Dr. Guido Westerwelle, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs

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