THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much, Strobe, for your extraordinary leadership here at Brookings, and thanks to all of you in attendance.
 
Almost exactly one year ago, on a frigid winter's day, I met with my new economic team at the headquarters of my presidential transition offices in Chicago.  And over the course of four hours, my advisors presented an analysis of where the economy at that time stood, accompanied by a chilling set of charts and graphs, predicting where we might end up.  It was an unforgettable series of presentations.

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