President Obama, the Colorado wildfires and 'what makes us Americans'

President Obama'against the backdrop of the devastating wildfires in Colorado'uses his weekly address to thank the firefighters and to remind all of us "what makes us Americans."

... in addition to saying thank you to these firefighters, is to let them know that all of America has their back. One of the things that happens, whether it's a fire here in Colorado, or a tornado in Alabama or Missouri, or a flood or a hurricane in Florida, one of the things that happens here in America is when we see our fellow citizens in trouble and having difficulty, we come together as one American family, as one community. And you see that spirit and you see that strength here in Colorado Springs, where people are working together, promising each other to rebuild. We've got to make sure that we are there with them every step of the way, even after this fire is put out.

And he asks all Americans to keep the people of Colorado in their thoughts.

So, America, I hope you guys remember the folks during these times of need. I know this is a little bit unusual -- we don't usually do weekly addresses like this, but I thought it was a good opportunity for us to actually focus attention on a problem that's going on here in Colorado Springs. We never know when it might be our community that's threatened, and it's important that we're there for them.

(Complete transcript below the fold)