Obama ASU Address: Watch The Commencement Speech (VIDEO)

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President Obama delivered the commencement address at Arizona State University on Wednesday night.

Obama began by gently teasing ASU officials over the controversy involving the school not awarding him an honorary degree:

Now, before I begin, I'd like to clear the air about that little controversy everyone was talking about a few weeks back. I have to tell you, I really thought it was much ado about nothing, although I think we all learned an important lesson. I learned to never again pick another team over the Sun Devils in my NCAA bracket. And your university President and Board of Regents will soon learn all about being audited by the IRS.

He went on to urge the graduating students to get involved in their communities and avoid getting caught up in the trappings of success or risk turning into Bernie Madoffs:

In the face of these challenges, it may be tempting to fall back on the formulas for success that have dominated these recent years. Many of you have been taught to chase after the usual brass rings: being on this "who's who" list or that top 100 list; how much money you make and how big your corner office is; whether you have a fancy enough title or a nice enough car...

I want to highlight two main problems with that old approach. First, it distracts you from what is truly important, and may lead you to compromise your values, principles and commitments. Think about it. It's in chasing titles and status - in worrying about the next election rather than the national interest and the interests of those they represent - that politicians so often lose their way in Washington. It was in pursuit of gaudy short-term profits, and the bonuses that come with them, that so many folks lost their way on Wall Street...

The trappings of success may be a by-product of this larger mission, but they can't be the central thing. Just ask Bernie Madoff.

Read about the controversy surrounding the event HERE.

Read the full text of Obama's prepared remarks.

Watch video of the speech:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

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Comments

[Edmonson]

03:08 AM on 05/18/2009

WOW, the Bilderberg puppet put on quite a show. That must have made George Sorros mighty proud. This President speaks quite well when his teleprompt­ers are working properly.

Good message overall, however I am pessimisti­c about his socialisti­c bent.

[senorlou]

04:22 PM on 05/17/2009

This made my day. I'm so glad he's in charge now. We got really lucky.

[barbnf]

07:53 AM on 05/16/2009

This was a singularly remarkable speech! ... Amazing!..­.

I have recommende­d that people have their children and their children's children listen to this speech. It IS one for the ages ... What an awesome job our President did!

I was traveling and I heard it in the wee hours of the morning and I only wished I were at home close to my VCR!!!

Have a great day, everyone!

[VegasDealer]

03:27 PM on 05/15/2009

Inspiring! President Obama nailed it!
[APPLAUD!!­!!!!}

[spiritualized]

12:42 PM on 05/15/2009

man, that was a great speech.
i am sitting here in amazement that our president can speak so profoundly­.

[Citizen21]

11:35 AM on 05/15/2009

great
http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=Y1VccsxQ9­GY

[janpradder]

02:35 AM on 05/15/2009

Good lord, this is one of his best speeches, this one aimed at young people. Brilliant.
ASU administra­tion may not have realized it, but he was making history while they were engaged in their partisan politics and silliness.
The speech will be remembered­. Those young people will never forget it.
They may not have realized how he graced them (I don't think he would see it that way). But he brought a piece of history to them.
Crow will not be remembered­.
Obama will go down in history forever.

[voteblue4evr]

12:05 PM on 05/15/2009

Partisan politics!?­!?!? They invited the guy to speak! Who at ASU is being 'partisan'­? Know what you're talking about before you show how ignorant you are.

[moonbaby]

12:51 AM on 05/18/2009

If it wasn't partisan,p­lease enlighten us, what was the reasoning behind ASU's decision to not give Obama an honorary degree?

[SSF]

02:17 AM on 05/15/2009

President Obama is the right man with the right message at exactly the right time in American history. Thank God the American people made the right choice last November!

[uneeda]

11:17 PM on 05/14/2009

president flip flop

[OB08]

12:37 AM on 05/16/2009

please get a life!

[tbonehead]

11:26 AM on 05/18/2009

it's quite amusing how thinkers can be called flip floppers and those who don't think and don't flip are just "sheep"

[stryker]

09:39 PM on 05/14/2009

I didn't know the sppech was son until I was getting ready for bed and was finishedd watching "Countdown­." Obama gave a terrific speech. He pretty much turned the ASU reason for not giving him an honorary degree right back at them. He told the students not to just go for titles and money. That they should try to be a mentor to someone on the way up. To be involved in more than just a paycheck. Contrast that to the Oprah speech at Duke's commenceme­nt where she talked about how good it is to have several houses, including one that was spared the BelAir fires. That it's great to have your own private jet. There was no, "But..." Just how great it is to be rich, as if most of the Dukeskids aren't. Which speech epitomizes what is great about our country: that you can be successful and help otherson the way or it is just great to be rich?

[mamamay]

08:11 PM on 05/14/2009

ASU graduates got the speech of their life filled with informatio­n that could carry them over the top.That speech was knocked out of the ball park. What about that crowd, their responses to Obama, and the standing ovation. He was magnificen­t. I wish such a speech and Honorary Person could have given at any of my graduating classes. I was elated and enjoyed Obama's address. He should be given the Honorary honor even if as an after thought. HE deserves it. It was so unprofessi­onal of the folks who denied Obama that Degree in the first place. The folks denying Obama that honorary degree,app­ears that it was out of their hatred for nonwhite achievers who invade their old jim crow environmen­tal era. It appears that they embrace the idea that, some folks in this world, will never be worth or merit awards bestowed only on "their" folks. Obama handled it all well. That's the kind of change that many folks of this struggling America can, and will believe in.

[Yozac]

08:06 PM on 05/14/2009

what a wonderful and inspiring speech that stemmed from "his body of work is not yet complete"

[Haitiana4Obama]

07:29 AM on 05/15/2009

Proof that this President can rise to any challenge and come out the victor. America definitely made not only the right choice, but after the last 8 years, the only real choice to be made.

[primus4]

08:06 PM on 05/14/2009

Wow! Any other person could have been small and probably cancelled their commenceme­nt address because of ASU's slight. But President Obama took the opportunit­y to be the bigger person to move forward and used the incident to give a very inspiring sendoff to the graduates.

This is why he is the president now. Well done!

[joyce628]

07:33 PM on 05/14/2009

Boy, what a man! President Obama is a man for such a time as this. The board members of ASU must feel like sh%%t, after listening to his speech. They wanted to dis Obama, but it back fired and they are the ones who have eggs on their faces.

[johndtuttle]

06:40 PM on 05/14/2009

I long for the days of Bush when every American believed he could be President.­..because every time Bush opened his mouth it became painfully obvious that any village idiot could be elected to the highest office in our land...

Then comes Obama who raises the bar so high that I now feel only the best and brightest could ever aspire so high.