Obama Ipsum

This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations. Because we all have the capacity to do justice and show mercy; to treat others with dignity and respect; and to rise above what divides us and come together to meet those challenges we can't meet alone. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance. That is why we welcome efforts like Saudi Arabian King Abdullah's Interfaith dialogue and Turkey's leadership in the Alliance of Civilizations.

He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't. These needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead; and if we understand that the challenges we face are shared, and our failure to meet them will hurt us all.

This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations. America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy that I do, if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do - if we do what we must do, then I have no doubts that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come. In Ankara, I made clear that America is not - and never will be - at war with Islam. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.

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. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam. Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance. Some are eager to stoke the flames of division, and to stand in the way of progress.

Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope? The skeptical bent of my mind didn't suddenly vanish. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And so in that spirit, let me speak as clearly and plainly as I can about some specific issues that I believe we must finally confront together. And today I am announcing a new global effort with the Organization of the Islamic Conference to eradicate polio.

Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.