The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted at least, most of the time. They're deciding that their work, their possessions, their diversions, their sheer busyness, is not enough. I'd been inspired by the civil rights movement - by all the clear-eyed, straight-backed, courageous young people who'd boarded buses and traveled down South to march and sit at lunch counters, and lay down their lives in some cases for freedom. What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them. It was a peaceful and determined insistence upon the ideals at the center of America's founding. And today I am announcing a new global effort with the Organization of the Islamic Conference to eradicate polio.
His father - my grandfather - was a cook, a domestic servant to the British. They cheered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial when Dr. Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East. Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them.
I'm talking about something more substantial. It's an idea that's often forgotten or dismissed in cynical times. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time. She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow. 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.
"If you're organizing churches," they said, "it might be helpful if you went to church once in a while." And I thought, "Well, I guess that makes sense." In Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia, we have seen Muslim-majority countries elect a woman to lead.
I believe that we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity. And as a consequence, so did I. 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. These are the policies I will pursue.
Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.