Tomorrow, after nearly seven years, our country will end its combat mission in Iraq. Ending the war was one of Barack Obama’s most important campaign promises—and so far this Administration has brought home more than 90,000 troops, with all troops coming home by the end of next year.

Tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the President will deliver his second Oval Office address to mark the end of our combat mission in Iraq and thank our troops and their families for their service.

President Obama has also invited all Americans to join him in sharing a message of support for our troops. Take part and salute our troops through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Flickr.

In his weekly address, President Obama paid tribute to men and women in uniform and pledged that his Administration will do everything possible to care for veterans when they come home.

President Obama:

"As we mark the end of America’s combat mission in Iraq, a grateful nation must pay tribute to all who have served there.  Because part of responsibly ending this war is meeting our responsibility to those who have fought it.

"The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan now make up America’s longest continuous combat engagement.  For the better part of a decade, our troops and their families have served tour after tour with honor and heroism, risking and often giving their lives for the defense of our freedom and security.  More than one million Americans in uniform have served in Iraq – far more than any conflict since Vietnam.  And more than one million who have served in both wars have now finished their service and joined the proud ranks of America’s veterans.

"What this new generation of veterans must know is this: our nation’s commitment to all who wear its uniform is a sacred trust that is as old as our republic itself.  It is one that, as President, I consider a moral obligation to uphold."

This weekend marks the fifth August since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. It is a solemn anniversary, one marked by still empty New Orleans homes and still scattered New Orleans neighbors. Yet it is also a hopeful anniversary, one marked by the tremendous progress made since the levees broke and the water washed so many peoples’ homes and hopes away.

This year, for the first time since the storm, my own family is back in New Orleans, together and whole. I have spent portions of this summer with them in the City of Jazz, renovating their new homes. As we put the finishing touches on those clean, mold-free houses we looked back on Hurricane Katrina with immense gratitude for our good fortune – though my family lost their belongings and their home, they all survived, thanks to the incredible kindness of strangers.

When the storm made landfall, the government response was painfully slow. There was a breakdown in communications. People - many of whom were too frail or simply without the means to evacuate - were stuck waiting to be rescued. Then, the levees failed.

I will never forget the generosity of people from across the country as they rose to the occasion to help so many people rebuild their lives. Regardless of race or background – people came together and helped one another. Our common humanity rose to the surface. It is that common humanity that I am thinking about today, as the people of New Orleans and the entire Gulf coast continue the process of rebuilding their lives.

So on this anniversary, let us offer our remembrance to those who perished in the storm, our gratitude to those brave individuals who offered their aid to others caught in the storm, and our own kindness and goodwill to all those around us – because as Hurricane Katrina showed us, we are all dependent on one another, and a little human kindness goes a long way.

This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of the Gulf Coast. In commemoration of that anniversary, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement:

“This weekend we have cause to remember all that was lost when Hurricane Katrina battered the shores of four states and wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast. More than a thousand lives were lost in the storm, more than a million people were displaced, and American towns were left in ruins. The images from that time—of homes under water, families stranded on rooftops, and displaced people seeking shelter in stadiums—remain a sober reminder of nature’s strength and its potential for devastation.

“Now, five years after Hurricane Katrina, it is important not only to pay our respects to those who died or were displaced and to their families, but it is also important to renew our commitment to ensuring that our government never again fails its people in the wake of such a disaster. To that end, President Obama has made it easier for residents of the Gulf Coast to get the support they need to recover from Hurricane Katrina, and he has worked to improve America’s disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, so that our country will be better able to handle future disasters on the Gulf Coast or wherever they occur. But our work is not yet finished. It will not be finished until communities damaged by Hurricane Katrina are restored and those who wish to return to their communities are able to do so. Even then, we must continue to honor the lives lost and survivors harmed—by better preparing ourselves and responding more effectively to those in need as future emergencies occur.

“So on this anniversary, as America commemorates a tragedy that changed the face of a region and tested the resolve of its citizens, I offer my support to President Obama for his efforts to ensure that our country is adequately prepared for any disaster that may reach our shores and as he strives to build a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America.”

Today the Democratic National Committee launched a new web video, “GOP Tea Party: These People Could Be in Charge” as part of a coordinated effort across Democratic campaigns and committees to highlight the corrosive trend developing within the Republican-Tea Party.

The new web video highlights radicalized candidates, whose extreme agenda would not just take America back to the days of failed Bush policies, but rewind the clock to the days before Social Security, Medicare, civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights, and before social safety nets like unemployment insurance were in place. As the Tea Party takes over the Republican Party, they are purging anyone who would dissent from their extreme agenda and pushing once-reasonable Republicans to fall in line to survive.

DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse said:

“After Tuesday's primary results, the trend could not be clearer. It’s not just that the Tea Party has devoured the Republican Party and that Republicans want to take us back to the Bush era. The new Republican-Tea Party has offered a slate of candidates across the country who would fight to bring America back to the days before women had equal rights and before Americans could rely on programs such as Social Security and Medicare. The choice before the American people was made clearer with the nomination of extreme candidates like Rick Scott, Ron Johnson, Sharron Angle, Daniel Webster, Rand Paul, Ken Buck, Linda McMahon and Joe Miller. Do we want to go forward with our common values and continue to get the economy back on track or do we want to put the Republican-Tea Party with their extreme agenda in charge and take the country backward, not just years, but decades? The prospect that these people could be in charge is a scary one indeed.”

This Saturday, August 28, is the 47th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, which drew more than a quarter million people to the capital in advance of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In recognition of that anniversary, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement:

“Forty-seven years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. laid out his dream for America: that our nation would one day recognize true equality for all Americans, that our country would guarantee justice and opportunity for all Americans, and that all Americans would one day come together – regardless of each other’s race or background – in common spirit and kinship. The quarter million people who had gathered on the National Mall in Washington, DC to hear Dr. King speak shared in that dream – as did millions more who heard him on television or read of his speech in the papers the next day.

“In the almost fifty years since that day, our nation has made tremendous progress toward realizing Dr. King’s dream – and the dream of all those hopeful Americans who marched and demonstrated in common cause with him. Our country has done away with the most grievous remnants of the legacy of slavery, including segregation, and we have passed laws protecting civil rights and stating that Americans of all races and backgrounds are equal in the eyes of the law. The American people have made progress not only toward removing racial biases in our laws, but also toward removing their own racial blinders – toward a world in which, in the words of Dr. King, we are able ‘to stand up for freedom together.’ Let us continue to work together to meet Dr. King’s goal of making ‘justice a reality for all of God’s children.’

“As a long-time civil rights attorney, I know that inequality and injustice persist, but I take heart in how far our country has come and I have faith that, under the leadership of President Obama, our country will continue to move forward toward becoming a more perfect union for all.”