Authors: yvonne President Obama delivered a speech on the MIT campus today emphasizing the importance of passing strong climate legislation in Washington. "The nation that wins this competition [on developing new ways to produce and use energy] will be the nation that leads the global economy... And I want America to be that nation." Obama underscored a growing consensus to pass strong clean-energy legislation and applauded the growing numbers of business leaders and members of Congress - both Republican and Democrat - who recognize the need to develop a clean-energy economy. "This should not be a partisan issue... Everybody in America should have a stake in legislation that can transform our energy system."

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT CHALLENGING AMERICANS TO 
LEAD THE GLOBAL ECONOMY IN CLEAN ENERGY

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Boston, Massachusetts

12:44 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Please, have a seat. Thank you. Thank you, MIT. (Applause.) I am -- I am hugely honored to be here. It's always been a dream of mine to visit the most prestigious school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Applause.) Hold on a second -- certainly the most prestigious school in this part of Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Laughter.) And I'll probably be here for a while -- I understand a bunch of engineering students put my motorcade on top of Building 10. (Laughter.)