The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than one hundred million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement? She's the one who taught me about hard work. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. 9/11 was an enormous trauma to our country. Freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together.
They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve your potential. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations - those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. And then another one.
Now don't get me wrong. In that time, I've had the chance to talk with Americans all across this country. But what we know - what we have seen - is that America can change. Because I've lived it. Instead, it must be a cause for action to help the Palestinian people develop the institutions that will sustain their state; to recognize Israel's legitimacy; and to choose progress over a self-defeating focus on the past.
Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. To the Joshua generation, these challenges seem momentous - and they are. No, the word is very near. That together, our dreams can be one. There is no straight line to realize this promise. The Holy Koran tells us, "O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another."
But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.
God bless you.