The White House Blog: The Vice President

From the Archives: Vice President Biden Pays Respects at Pearl Harbor Memorial

In August, Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Pearl Harbor after his trip to Asia to pay his respects at the USS Arizona Memorial -- a 184-foot structure that rests atop the midsection of the sunken World War Two battleship.

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The USS Arizona, one of 21 battleships attacked on December 7th, 1941, is the final resting place for 1,177 American crewmen. It represents the greatest loss of life on any ship that day and about half of the total number of Americans killed in the attack.

The Vice President, his daughter-in-law Kathleen, and his granddaughter Naomi visited the memorial at sunset, and had the opportunity to reflect on the overwhelming loss of life in the memorial’s sanctuary, where 1,177 names of the fallen are etched in marble on the wall.

After laying a wreath at the foot of the wall, the Vice President and his family silently sprinkled flower petals into the sea -- a symbolic tribute to all those lost in the attack.

Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Pacific Commander Admiral Willard, pay their respects at the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Wednesday, August 24, 2011. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Vice President Biden Visits Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul

Vice President Joe Biden lights a candle with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Church of St. George at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, Turkey; December 3, 2011. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Following their meeting, the Vice President and the Ecumenical Patriach were joined by members of the Holy Synod, Metropolitans, and Greek community leaders for continued discussions - not to mention an abundance of the local dessert of choice, Turkish Delight.

Vice President Biden then had the opportunity to tour the Church of St. George at the Patriarchate with His Eminence Archbishop Demitrios Trakatellis, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, with whom the Vice President recently met in New York City. A beautiful day in Istanbul, the tour included a stroll through the Church's mosaic adorned courtyard. It was a special honor to later light a candle at the Church with the Ecumenical Patriarch.

Vice President Biden: "In America, and in Iraq, the Tide of War Is Receding"

Vice President Joe Biden addresses U.S. soldiers at Al-Faw palace at Camp Victory, outside Baghdad, Iraq, Dec. 1, 2011. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Speaking at an event in Baghdad to honor the shared sacrifice and commitment of American and Iraqi servicemembers, Vice President Biden heralded a new chapter in the relationship between the United States and Iraq – one rooted in civilian cooperation as the remaining American troops prepare to return home by the end of this year. More than 200 U.S. and Iraqi servicemembers attended the event at Al Faw Palace - a former palace of Saddam Hussein. 

“Today we come together at another moment of transition,” said Vice President Biden. “In America, and in Iraq, the tide of war is receding. And our relationship, borne on the battlefield and long defined by the imperative of security alone, is now giving way to a new, more normal partnership between sovereign nations seeking to build a future together.” 

In reflecting on the 4,486 American servicemembers who lost their lives in the war in Iraq, and the more than 30,000 wounded, the Vice President quoted President Harry Truman in describing the end of the war as a “solemn but glorious hour.”  

The event capped two days of productive talks in Baghdad with Iraqi political leaders – including a meeting of the U.S.-Iraq Higher Coordinating Committee – all focused on the transition to an Iraq in control of its own security, with the United States as an enduring strategic partner across a broad range of areas. From energy development, to trade, to the rule of law, to agriculture, to education – these areas of cooperation defined by the Strategic Framework Agreement offer an “opportunity to help a new Iraqi democracy secure its place in the community of responsible nations,” the Vice President said.  

From Baghdad, Vice President Biden traveled to Erbil where he met with Kurdish Regional Government President Massoud Barzani. 

The next stop for the Vice President: Ankara, Turkey, the first leg on a four-day visit to Turkey and Greece.

Related: See the slideshow from the Vice President's trip to Iraq

Here's How Much More You'll Pay

Without a vote from Congress, taxes for nearly every American will go up on January 1, 2012. The American Jobs Act would expand existing tax cuts and put more money in your pocket. This morning, Vice President Joe Biden sent the email below to the White House email list, asking folks to check out our calculator to see how your own bottom line would be impacted. At 12:15 p.m. EDT today, President Obama will discuss the importance of the American Jobs Act and tax cuts for the middle class.  Watch live at WhiteHouse.gov/live.

If you didn't get the email, but sure to sign up for the White House email list.

I'll cut to the chase: If Congress doesn't act soon, middle-class Americans will see their taxes go up starting on January 1st, taking almost $1,000 out of the pockets of a typical family next year.

Last year, President Obama and members of both parties in Congress cut the payroll tax for 155 million workers, putting money in your pockets.  Now, that tax cut is expiring. So in September, the President and I proposed extending that tax cut and cutting your taxes even further: giving the typical family a $1,500 tax cut.  Steps like this won't just help families feel more secure in their budgets, it'll give them more money to spend at local businesses that will hire more people and make investments in new equipment too.

We thought the extension would win bipartisan support again. How could Republicans in Congress, some of whom have pledged not to raise taxes by a penny, oppose extending the same tax cuts they just passed? But after years of protecting expensive tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, many Republicans now say we should let this middle-class tax cut expire.

There's a lot at stake here for you and your family, and the better folks understand how much more they may have to pay, the easier it will be to get Congress to do the right thing. We've put together a calculator to show how much of your money hangs in the balance.

Try it out.