West Wing Week: 09/21/12 or "The Dignity and Freedom That Every Person Deserves"

Narrator: Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's
happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
This week, the President, Vice President and Secretary of
State attended the Transfer of Remains Ceremony for the four
Americans killed in Libya; while the White House welcomed
Olympians and Paralympians; WNBA Champions the Minnesota Lynx;
new foreign ambassadors; and the Children's Miracle Network.
That's September 14th to September 20th or "The Dignity
"and Freedom That Every Person Deserves."
On Friday, the White House got a little more athletic as the
President, First Lady and Vice President welcomed the 2012 U.S.
Olympic and Paralympic teams to the South Lawn of
the White House.
Mrs. Obama: Even more impressive than those medals is all the hard work that
led up to that Olympic and Paralympic dream.
This summer, people across the country,
including some of the young people with us today,
watched you compete and thought to themselves, you know what?
If they can set a goal and work hard to reach it,
maybe I can, too.
And maybe I can go a little farther and do a little better
than people think I can.
The President: One of the great things about watching our Olympics is,
we are a portrait of what this country is all about --
people from every walk of life, every background, every race,
every faith.
It sends a message to the world about what makes
America special.
And it's even more impressive when you think about the
obstacles that many of you have had to overcome,
not just to succeed at the games,
but to get there in the first place.
Narrator: Later, the White House hosted a Safety DataPalooza highlighting
innovators from the private, nonprofit and academic sectors
who have utilized freely-available government data
to build products, services and even apps that advance public
safety in creative and powerful ways.
Todd Park: Like helping your family prepare for a hurricane or an earthquake
and respond faster and more effectively in the event
of a disaster.
We've seen how data could contribute to the fight against
drunk driving.
How data about transportation safety and commutes can be
really made accessible to consumers.
And it's just the beginning!
Narrator: On Friday afternoon, President Obama,
Vice President Biden and Secretary Clinton attended the
Transfer of Remains Ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base,
which marked the return to the United States of the remains of
the four brave Americans who were killed last week in
Benghazi, Libya.
♪♪(somber music playing)♪♪
The President: That's the message these four patriots sent.
That's the message that each of you sends every day --
civilians, military -- to people in every corner of the world:
That America is a friend and that we care not just about our
own country, not just about our own interests, but about theirs.
That even as voices of suspicion and mistrust seek to divide
countries and cultures from one another,
the United States of America will never retreat
from the world.
We will never stop working for the dignity and freedom that
every person deserves whatever their creed,
whatever their faith.
That's the essence of American leadership.
That's the spirit that sets us apart from other nations.
This was their work in Benghazi and this is the work we will
carry on.
Narrator: On Monday, the White House launched something called
/Developers -- it's a one-stop resource for anyone who wants to
use the tools provided by the White House Technology Program,
including all the open data and open source software we've
released so far.
We hope you'll take a look at the data and applications,
crack 'em open and see how they work.
Spot a problem?
Have an idea for a new way to use that piece of data?
We'd love to know!
On Tuesday, the President welcomed the WNBA Champion
Minnesota Lynx to the White House to honor the team in their
2011 WNBA Championship.
(applause)
In just one year, the Lynx went from worst to first,
bouncing back from the bottom of the standings to win the
WNBA Crown.
They also managed to make the President look short.
♪♪(drums and bugles)♪♪
On Wednesday afternoon, foreign ambassadors recently posted in
Washington arrived at the White House to mark the formal
beginning of their service in Washington, representing:
The Republic of the Seychelles; the Union of Comoros;
the Arab Republic of Egypt; the Oriental Republic of Uruguay;
the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; Saint Lucia;
the Republic of Colombia; the Slovak Republic;
and the Hellenic Republic.
Later, the President stopped by to say hello to the 52 amazing
Champions of the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals,
their families, and their national spokeswoman
Laura Kaeppeler, the current Miss America.
The President: I just wanted to say how proud I am of all of you.
You guys are all tough and strong and brave and smart.
And I know your parents could not be prouder of you.
So I just want to let you know that we're proud of you, too.
And I'm so glad that I had a chance to visit with you.
One, two, three -- cheeeeese!
Narrator: At the end of the day, Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Burmese
Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived at the White House
to meet with the President.
It's her first trip to the United States in more than 20
years, marking the latest chapter in the life of a truly
remarkable leader.
To find out more information on any of these topics or to see
complete videos of these events, go to WhiteHouse.gov.
And thanks again for checking out your West Wing Week.
(children chatter)
The President: Nice to meet you!
Child: Nice to meet you, too!
Crowd: Awww!
(laughter and applause)