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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. 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 we will support a secure and united Iraq as a partner, and never as a patron. The obligations that the parties have agreed to under the Road Map are clear. Too much blood has been shed. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.
A common dream, born of two continents. That is why there is a mosque in every state of our union, and over 1,200 mosques within our borders.
No matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who hold power: you must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party. Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons, and our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity - men and women - to reach their full potential.
But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me. Nor is it beyond the sea. And it's a lesson we need to remember today - as members of another Joshua generation. This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. That is the world we seek. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward.
He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth - by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS. And Ashley asks him why he's there. I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind. This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they are out of power; once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others.
God bless you.