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And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents - I say to you tonight: we have more work to do. At every opportunity, they've told evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their Church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage; school prayer and intelligent design. I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars.
And right here in the UCC, we're hearing from God about what it means to be a welcoming church that holds on to our Christian witness. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. He simply says to everyone in the room, "I am here because of Ashley."
I didn't fall out in church, as folks sometimes do. The UCC is still listening. For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy. That is why we will honor our agreement with Iraq's democratically-elected government to remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July, and to remove all our troops from Iraq by 2012.
Consensus and compromise will not come easy. But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future. But my personal story is not so unique. When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk. But let us be clear: al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day.
This is where we are right now. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. 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. For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. Our problems must be dealt with through partnership; progress must be shared.
Thank you, and God bless America.