Obama Ipsum

I'm not talking about blind optimism here - the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. Now is the time for Palestinians to focus on what they can build. And fault lines must be closed among Muslims as well, as the divisions between Sunni and Shia have led to tragic violence, particularly in Iraq. I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles.

They work hard and give back and keep going without complaint. In Ankara, I made clear that America is not - and never will be - at war with Islam.

Out of many, one. That's not what I'm talking about. I've been speaking to a lot of churches recently, so it's nice to be speaking to one that's so familiar. To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation; With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life.

In the following century, men and women of faith waded into the battles over prison reform and temperance, public education and women's rights - and above all, abolition. Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution - a Constitution that had at is very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. But I have asserted a firm conviction - a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people - that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union. These are not whiners. On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people - Muslims and Christians - have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. Some suggest that it isn't worth the effort - that we are fated to disagree, and civilizations are doomed to clash. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort - a sustained effort - to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.

Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.