Lawrence Jackson/White House

President Barack Obama was presented with a University of Alabama football jersey during a ceremony on Monday honoring the national champion Crimson Tide football team in the East Room of the White House.

The President highlighted one of the team’s trademarks, their unwavering focus on what’s important.

“Coach Saban asked his players if they wanted to work hard enough to beat their teammates in a drill, or if they wanted to work hard enough to be the best team in the country. And it’s pretty clear what choice they made,” President Obama said. “That’s the kind of tone this team sets, both on and off the field.”

“It’s why these young men — and this is something I’m very proud of — had the second highest graduation rate of any team ranked in the top 25,” the president added. “It shows that these guys have their priorities straight. Together, they contributed more than 3,500 hours of community service that Alabama students — student athletes performed last year.”

And that spirit continued earlier today, when the team met with a group of kids from one of D.C.’s roughest neighborhoods, and helped teach them about the importance of staying in school and making healthy choices,” the president said.

“That’s how champions act,” he said, “in football and in life.”

Full text of speech and video below:
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Birmingham attorney Giles Perkins, who has announced his intention to run in the Democratic Party’s primary election for attorney general in Alabama, will walk the 51 miles from Selma to Montgomery to file his qualifying papers on Tuesday.

Perkins’ walk will coincide with the 45th Anniversary Commemoration of Bloody Sunday and the historic Civil Rights March which took place this past weekend.

Along the way Perkins will walk with local leaders and citizens and groups such as the Foot Soldiers, to hear their concerns and to learn how he can help their communities, according to a press release issued by his campaign.

“The Attorney General is there to represent the people – not just the rich and powerful — but really the working people of Alabama, whose voices are rarely heard,” Perkins said. “I want to take some time to talk to people about how the attorney general can work with these communities to make them a safer place for our families.”

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The Democrat who could be U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith’s opponent in the general election for North Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District responded to Griffith’s video comments today on health care.

Mitchell J. Howie said he was disappointed but not surprised to see Griffith use an opportunity provided by the GOP weekly video address “to roll out five minutes of Washington style talking points, to attempt to score political points based on partisan bickering and his newfound loyalty to his newfound political party.”

“Since Griffith chose not to speak for the people of North Alabama, he might not appreciate that our friends and neighbors are tired of these Washington political games,” Howie said in a statement. “The representatives in congress need to be focused on service to their constituents and service to this country more so than their next election.”

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