FIGHTER WITH HIS CORE VOTERS AS
IT IS ANYTHING ELSE.
>> WELL, THE PRESIDENTIAL
TRANSITION IS NOW OFFICIALLY
UNDERWAY.
A BIDEN OFFICIAL TELLS NBC NEWS
THAT BY MID AFTERNOON YESTERDAY,
TRANSITION TEAMS HAD MADE
CONTACT WITH ALL FEDERAL
AGENCIES INCLUDING THE WHITE
HOUSE.
THE PRESIDENT-ELECT SAYS HE HAS
NOT YET RECEIVED THE
PRESIDENTIAL DAILY BRIEFING FROM
U.S. INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS BUT
THAT IT COULD HAPPEN TODAY.
JOE BIDEN OFFICIALLY ALSO
INTRODUCED HIS FIRST CABINET
PICKS YESTERDAY.
FILLED WITH CAREER NATIONAL
SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY
PROFESSIONALS.
AS EXPECTED TONY BLINKEN WILL
SERVE AS SECRETARY OF STATE,
ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS WILL HEAD
HOMELAND SECURITY.
AVRIL HAINES WILL BE DIRECTOR OF
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE.
JAKE SULLIVAN WILL BECOME
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER.
LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD WILL BE
NAMED U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UN,
AND FORM SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN
KERRY WILL BE THE CLIMATE ENVOY.
>> IT IS A TEAM THAT WILL KEEP
OUR COUNTRY AND OUR PEOPLE SAFE
AND SECURE.
IT’S A TEAM THAT REFLECTS THE
FACT THAT AMERICA IS BACK, READY
TO LEAD THE WORLD, NOT RETREAT
FROM IT.
ONCE AGAIN, SIT AT THE HEAD OF
THE TABLE.
READY TO CONFRONT OUR
ADVERSARIES AND NOT REJECT OUR
ALLIES, READY TO STAND UP FOR
OUR VALUES.
AND THEY WILL TELL ME WHAT I
NEED TO KNOW, NOT WHAT I WANT TO
KNOW.
WHAT I NEED TO KNOW.
>> NOW, WE HAVE TO PROCEED WITH
EQUAL MEASURES OF HUMILITY AND
CONFIDENCE.
HUMILITY BECAUSE AS THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT SAID WE CAN’T
SOLVE ALL OF THE WORLD’S
PROBLEMS ALONE.
>> THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY HAS A NOBLE MISSION TO
HELP KEEP US SAFE AND TO ADVANCE
OUR PROUD HISTORY AS A COUNTRY
OF WELCOME.
>> PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN WILL
TRUST IN GOD, AND HE WILL ALSO
TRUST IN SCIENCE TO GUIDE OUR
WORK ON EARTH.
>> AMERICA IS BACK.
MULTILATERALISM IS BACK.
DIPLOMACY IS BACK.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE IS BACK IS
THE VIEW THAT AMERICA IS THE
INDISPENSABLE PLAYER ON THE
WORLD STAGE, THAT WE ACTUALLY
HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROMOTE
AMERICAN VALUES.
>> TO BE HUMBLE.
>> NOT JUST PROMOTE TRADE AND
NOT JUST TO MAKE BILLIONS AND
TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS, BUT ALSO
THAT THE MOST VALUABLE THING WE
CAN EXPORT ARE OUR VALUES.
IT’S SOMETHING THAT TONY BLINKEN
BROUGHT HOME YESTERDAY IN THE
MOST MOVING OF WAYS.
>> FOR MY FAMILY, AS FOR SO MANY
GENERATIONS OF AMERICANS,
AMERICA HAS LITERALLY BEEN THE
LAST BEST HOPE ON EARTH.
MY LATE STEPFATHER, SAMUEL
PIZAR, HE WAS ONE OF 900
CHILDREN IN HIS SCHOOL IN
POLAND, BUT THE ONLY ONE TO
SURVIVE THE HOLOCAUST AFTER FOUR
YEARS IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS.
AT THE END OF THE WAR, HE MADE A
BREAK FROM A DEATH MARCH INTO
THE WOODS IN BA VAR YAVARIA, FRO
HIDING PLACE, HE HEARD A DEEP
RUMBLING SOUND, IT WAS A TANK.
BUT INSTEAD OF THE IRON CROSS,
HE SAW PAINTED ON ITS SIDE A
FIVE POINTED WHITE STAR.
HE RAN TO THE TANK.
THE HATCH OPENED.
AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN GI LOOKED
DOWN AT HIM.
HE GOT DOWN ON HIS KNEES AND
SAID THE ONLY THREE WORDS HE
KNEW IN ENGLISH THAT HIS MOTHER
TAUGHT HIM BEFORE THE WAR.
GOD BLESS AMERICA.
THAT’S WHO WE ARE.
THAT’S WHAT AMERICA REPRESENTS
TO THE WORLD.
HOWEVER IMPERFECTLY.
NOW WE HAVE TO PROCEED WITH
EQUAL MEASURES OF HUMILITY AND
CONFIDENCE.
HUMILITY BECAUSE AS THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT SAID, WE CAN’T
SOLVE ALL OF THE WORLD’S
PROBLEMS ALONE, WE NEED TO BE
WORKING WITH OTHER COUNTRIES.
WE NEED THEIR COOPERATION.
WE NEED THEIR PARTNERSHIP.
BUT ALSO CONFIDENCE BECAUSE
AMERICA AT ITS BEST STILL HAS A
GREATER ABILITY THAN ANY OTHER
COUNTRY ON EARTH TO BRING OTHERS
TOGETHER TO MEET THE CHALLENGES
OF OUR TIME.
>> MIKE BARNICLE, SO BEAUTIFUL.
AMERICA AT ITS BEST.
THIS IS WHO WE ARE.
IMPERFECT AT TIMES, BUT ALWAYS
STRIVING TO BE BETTER AND
LISTENING TO TONY BLINKEN
YESTERDAY AND THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA.
I’VE JUST GOT TO SAY AS SOMEBODY
THAT’S BEEN AN UNAPOLOGETIC
BELIEVER THAT AMERICA IS THE
INDISPENSABLE POWER ON THE WORLD