Politics. On Point.

At Fort Bragg, President Obama and First Lady welcome home soldiers. The president remarked: "It’s harder to end a war than begin one. Indeed, everything that American troops have done in Iraq -– all the fighting and all the dying, the bleeding and the building, and the training and the partnering -– all of it has led to this moment of success. Now, Iraq is not a perfect place. It has many challenges ahead. But we’re leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government that was elected by its people. We’re building a new partnership between our nations. And we are ending a war not with a final battle, but with a final march toward home." The president visited with five enlisted servicemen, recently returned from deployments, and one Gold Star Family before making remarks.

Canceling his scheduled event at US Interstate Moving Services for today, President Obama instead flew to Dover Air Force Base to attend the return of the bodies of 30 U.S. servicemen killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Saturday. President Obama arriving at Dover Air Force Base. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster The dead servicemen included 22 Navy SEALs. Most were members of SEAL Team 6, the counterterrorism unit that carried out the mission to find Osama BinLaden. None of those involved in the Bin Laden raid were among the dead Saturday, U.S. officials have said. The remains were returned to Dover in "unidentified" stautus until they are positively indentified by the Armed Forces Mortuary Affairs Office. The Chinook helicopter crashed in the remote Tangi valley of Eastern Afghanistan. U.S. officials have said it was probably caused by insurgents firing a rocket-propelled grenade. The president had not announced publicly that he would visit Dover. As mentio...

The following op-ed, penned by Dr. Jill Biden, was published today in the Philadelphia Inquirer: Harnessing Community Colleges I have been a teacher for more than 30 years and a community college instructor for the last 18 of them. Every day in my classroom, I see the power of community colleges to change lives and put students on the path to opportunity and success. Community colleges are uniquely American institutions, in which anyone who walks through the door is one step closer to realizing the American dream. And they will play a vital role in the nation's economic recovery. President Obama understands the critical role community colleges will play in getting the economy back on track. They are the key to meeting his goal of making America's workforce the best educated and most competitive in the world by 2020. Last October, the president asked me to convene a summit of community college leaders at the White House, where students, faculty, administrators, and bu...

In case you missed the July 4th fireworks on the National Mall, here's an up close and personal view of the festivities from 1600 Penn Ave. Related President Obama Honors Military At The White House   Presidential Independence Day Remarks

Update :  View video of the ceremony here . ______ President Obama will deliver remarks at a naturalization ceremony for 24 members of the United States Armed Forces. This ceremony recognizes the contributions made by immigrant members of the U.S. armed forces who have earned their American citizenship through service to our country, and the contributions immigrants from all walks of life have made to our country throughout its history. Alejandro Mayorkas , Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) within the Department of Homeland Security, will present the home countries of the candidates for citizenship, and Secretary Janet Napolitano will administer the oath of citizenship. President Obama will then present Sergeant Ledum Ndaanee , U.S. Marine Corps (E-5) with the Outstanding American by Choice recognition, which highlights the outstanding achievements of naturalized U.S. citizens. Service men and women being honored include : Michael Zach Armstro...