Tag Archives: Irish American

News, Politics, Government

Remarks by Vice President Joe Biden on the U.S.-India Partnership at the Bombay Stock Exchange

Leave a comment

By The White House

The Bombay Stock Exchange
Mumbai, India

1:40 P.M. IST

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Kaku. I appreciate it.

Thank you all for giving me this opportunity. It’s an honor to be back in India and to be here in Mumbai. Off script for a second here, I was reminded — I was elected to the United States Senate when I was a 29-year-old kid back in 1972, and one of the first letters I received and I regret I never followed up on it. Maybe some genealogist in audience can follow up for me, but I received a letter from a gentleman named Biden — Biden, my name — from Mumbai, asserting that we were related. (Laughter.) Seriously. Suggesting that our mutual, great, great, great, something or other worked for the East India Trading Company back in the 1700s and came to Mumbai.

And so I was thinking about it, if that's true, I might run here in India for office. (Laughter.) I might be qualified. But I’ve never followed up on it. But now that I’m back for the multiple times, I’m going to follow up to find out whether there is a Biden and whether we’re related. I hope he’s in good standing if we are. (Laughter.)

I want to thank you for the kind welcome, Kaku, and the nice introduction. I’m delighted to be in Mumbai, a city full of history and dreams and incredible energy. I bring with me the admiration of the American people and the good wishes of President Obama.

We admire the way you’ve melded ethnicities, faiths and tongues into a single, proud nation; the way entrepreneurship seems almost hard-wired into Indian society, from rickshaw wallas to web programmers; and maybe most of all, we admire your democracy and the message that your democracy sends to people everywhere in the world. And that message is: No nation need choose between development and freedom. They are not inconsistent.

America is a land of immigrants, as we tell ourselves all the time and are reminded in every generation. And America has been strengthened by the diverse cultures of India woven into the fabric of most of our communities, including those of you who are Americans my own the small community in the state of Delaware that I represented in the United States Senate.

Any weekend in Delaware — we have a very significant and tight Indian-American community — any weekend in Delaware, you can find the Delaware United Cricket Club competing. And now I have bragging rights. I will be able to go back and tell my friends who belong to that club that I visited the home of the best cricket team in the world. It will give me some reason to — (applause). You won the International Cricket Council Championship.

And as an Irish American, it pleased my heart to see you …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office

News, Politics, Government

Remarks by the President and Prime Minister Kenny at St. Patrick's Day Reception

Leave a comment

By The White House

East Room

5:47 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody! (Applause.) Good evening, everybody.

AUDIENCE: Good evening.

THE PRESIDENT: Welcome to St. Patrick’s Week here at the White House — not just today, we get a week.

I want to welcome back our good friend Taoiseach Kenny and his wonderful wife Fionnuala. We are so glad that they are here, and we want to thank them for bringing some genuine Irish shamrocks. I want to say a special thanks to Michael Collins, who has done such an outstanding job here as the Irish Ambassador to the United States. This is his last St. Patrick’s Day in America before heading to Germany, so we want to wish him and his lovely wife all the best. (Applause.)

I also want to welcome First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of Northern Ireland, who are with us here today. And as I said earlier, I am very much looking forward to visiting Northern Ireland for the G8 Summit in June. (Applause.)

We have way too many Irish and Irish American and wannabe Irish Americans in the house for me to name — (laughter) — but I will say that the next four years are shaping up to be very green ones here in the White House. (Applause.) My new Chief of Staff is a McDonough. My National Security Advisor is a Donilon. Our new CIA Director is a Brennan. My new head speech writer is a Keenan. And Joe Biden has very kindly agreed to stay on as Irishman-in-Chief. (Laughter.)

Joe couldn’t be here tonight because he is on his way back from the installation of Pope Francis in Rome. For those of you who know Joe, literally the only thing that could keep him away from St. Patrick’s Day at the White House is the installation of a new Pope. (Laughter.) So he sends his best.

Ever since the first son or daughter of the Emerald Isle set foot here on American soil, this day has served as a reminder of just how many threads of green are woven into the red, white, and blue. And in times of war and peace, good times and bad, Americans have always found a way to celebrate that heritage.

During the Civil War, a quartermaster for the Irish Brigade was sent to Washington to secure a St. Patrick’s Day dinner consisting of a side of roasted ox, a pig stuffed with boiled turkeys and 35 hams. And even during the Great Depression, when food was scarce and families were struggling, a judge in New York informed the district attorney that he would not try any cases on St. Patrick’s Day in which the defendant or …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office

News, Politics, Government

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 3/19/2013

Leave a comment

By The White House

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

11:17 A.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY: Top of the morning to everyone. I have to thank Cody Keenan, my fellow Irish American, for loaning me his tie. (Laughter.) Because I was a little thrown off — I had corned beef and cabbage on Sunday, and I forgot that today is the day that we are officially celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day here in Washington.

As you know, the President has a bilateral meeting with the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny of Ireland, a meeting with the Northern Ireland delegation. He is attending also the Friends of Ireland luncheon on Capitol Hill, and there is a Saint Patrick’s Day reception in the East Room later today.

I also want to note that, because of those remarks, we need to have a hard stop at 12:00 noon today.

With that, I’ll go to the Associated Press.

Q Thanks, Jay. There are reports out of Damascus by state-run media that rebels have mounted a chemical attack that killed 25 people. The Russian Foreign Ministry is backing up those claims, saying that there also — I'm wondering if — what the administration has on that report.

MR. CARNEY: Jim, as you know, we have been very clear about our concern that as the Assad regime is increasingly beleaguered and finds its escalation of violence through conventional means inadequate, including the barbaric use of Scud missiles against population centers, that it will consider the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people. This is a serious concern.

I am not going to discuss intelligence, but it is important that as fighting in Syria intensifies and the regime becomes more desperate, that the United States and the international community make absolutely clear to Assad that the use of chemical weapons would be totally unacceptable. The President was clear when he said that if Assad and those under his command make the mistake of using chemical weapons or fail to meet their obligations to secure them, then there will be consequences and they will be held accountable.

The international community is united on this issue and the message to the Assad regime has been very clear.

Q Does that mean that you have confirmation that there was indeed a chemical attack, no matter who it came from?

MR. CARNEY: We are looking carefully at the information as it comes in. I’m not going to discuss intelligence processes. All I can tell you is that this is an issue that has been made very clear by the President to be of great concern to us.

Q There were some initial reports that this may have been propaganda. You’re not saying that that is propaganda on the part of the Assad.

MR. CARNEY: Again, I can tell you that we’re looking carefully at allegations of CW use, chemical weapons use. We’re evaluating them, but I have no further assessment to provide …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office