The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
And I'm glad to see that. For some, nagging questions remain. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America. But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort - a sustained effort - to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.
Because whether it's poverty or racism, the uninsured or the unemployed, war or peace, the challenges we face today are not simply technical problems in search of the perfect ten-point plan. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year.
Tonight is a particular honor for me because - let's face it - my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. It is on your lips and in your heart. We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honors the dignity of work. You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in eighty countries by occupying Iraq. People in every country should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind, heart, and soul.
And so this will be a difficult debate next week. But I also know that human progress cannot be denied. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share.
As such, Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems - two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all. Let us be our brother's keeper, Scripture tells us. And so in that spirit, let me speak as clearly and plainly as I can about some specific issues that I believe we must finally confront together. That is why the United States will partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded literacy for girls, and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams.
Thank you.