Obama Ipsum

And it's a lesson we need to remember today - as members of another Joshua generation. And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush Administration, even after we learned that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus while we're wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war. I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. We cannot impose peace. Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people.

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. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races. 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. When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk. These are not opinions to be debated; these are facts to be dealt with.

Hall in East Moline, Ill.. I learned that my sins could be redeemed. But we also know that government initiatives are not enough. This is where we are right now. We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal, and we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words - within our borders, and around the world. But I also know that human progress cannot be denied.

That's not what I'm talking about. She had this enormous capacity for wonder, and lived by the Golden Rule. For the men and women of Reverend Wright's generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world's great religions demand - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need. It should help us, not hurt us.

But she had a healthy skepticism of religion as an institution. And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn. Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result.

Thank you, and God bless America.