The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
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. Let us be our brother's keeper, Scripture tells us. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough." In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. But let us be clear: al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them.
John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and service because they've defined his life. Consensus and compromise will not come easy. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. There is no straight line to realize this promise. That is the spirit we need today.
I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my two precious daughters. On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike. For we have learned from recent experience that when a financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is hurt everywhere. And that is why we are providing more than $2.8 billion to help Afghans develop their economy and deliver services that people depend upon.
They saw that I knew the Scriptures and that many of the values I held and that propelled me in my work were values they shared. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America. To President Clinton, who last night made the case for change as only he can make it; to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service; and to the next Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. The attacks of September 11th, 2001 and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights. We must always examine the ways in which we protect it.
Wright deliver a sermon called "The Audacity of Hope." And during the course of that sermon, he introduced me to someone named Jesus Christ. That's why I've been fighting to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and the minimum wage. 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. The sooner the extremists are isolated and unwelcome in Muslim communities, the sooner we will all be safer. 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.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.