Obama Ipsum

He was a good-looking kid, six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile. But I've got news for them, too. 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.

As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith. The dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in America, but its promise exists for all who come to our shores - that includes nearly seven million American Muslims in our country today who enjoy incomes and education that are higher than average. At the same time, Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's.

Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety - the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance. Instead, it must be a cause for action to help the Palestinian people develop the institutions that will sustain their state; to recognize Israel's legitimacy; and to choose progress over a self-defeating focus on the past.

Some suggest that it isn't worth the effort - that we are fated to disagree, and civilizations are doomed to clash. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path.

And this restlessness - this search for meaning - is familiar to me. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam. And it is my first duty as President to protect the American people.

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