The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
And until we do, our conscience cannot rest. God is still speaking. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.
But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me. And we cannot ignore the very real concerns of Americans who are not worried about illegal immigration because they are racist or xenophobic, but because they fear it will result in lower wages when they're already struggling to raise their families. In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. And while America in the past has focused on oil and gas in this part of the world, we now seek a broader engagement. And I want to particularly say this to young people of every faith, in every country - you, more than anyone, have the ability to remake this world.
That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today's urban and rural communities. 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. That won't keep America safe. And it is my first duty as President to protect the American people.
And so long as we're not doing everything in our personal and collective power to solve them, we know the conscience of our nation cannot rest. This is a problem that's brought together churches and synagogues and mosques and people of all faiths as part of a grassroots movement. I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.
But by the time he was a young adult, he was an atheist. But we also know our conscience cannot rest so long as the war goes on in Iraq. And nothing will change.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.