The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. And when the first Muslim-American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Koran that one of our Founding Fathers - Thomas Jefferson - kept in his personal library. The situation in Afghanistan demonstrates America's goals, and our need to work together.
I've been speaking to a lot of churches recently, so it's nice to be speaking to one that's so familiar. It is that promise that has always set this country apart - that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans - Democrats and Republicans - have built, and we are here to restore that legacy. And despite the costs involved, America's commitment will not weaken. Those are mutual interests.
But it also comes from my own American story. And just as we keep our keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad. Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq was a war of choice that provoked strong differences in my country and around the world.
This is where we are right now. It's not because John McCain doesn't care. We need a President who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past. These are the policies I will pursue.
That is one option. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. It was Islam - at places like Al-Azhar University - that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't. These are not opinions to be debated; these are facts to be dealt with. The same is true for the astonishing progress within Muslim-majority countries from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai.
God bless you.