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They held vigils across this country when four little girls were killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naive as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own. This has bred more fear and mistrust. We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal, and we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words - within our borders, and around the world. For human history has often been a record of nations and tribes subjugating one another to serve their own interests. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.
On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality. 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."
She had this enormous capacity for wonder, and lived by the Golden Rule. We can recognize the truth that's at the heart of the UCC: that the conversation is not over; that our roles are not defined; that through ancient texts and modern voices, God is still speaking, challenging us to change not just our own lives, but the world around us. Not this time. Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America. Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend. Some are eager to stoke the flames of division, and to stand in the way of progress.
When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. It will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but we will proceed with courage, rectitude and resolve.
But we shouldn't use our humility as an excuse for inaction. We can affirm our faith without endangering the separation of church and state, as long as we understand that when we're in the public square, we have to speak in universal terms that everyone can understand. America, we are better than these last eight years. That is in Israel's interest, Palestine's interest, America's interest, and the world's interest.
God bless you.