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But I also get the sense that there's a hunger that's deeper than that - a hunger that goes beyond any single cause or issue. Yet what we also understand is that our values should express themselves not just through our churches or synagogues, temples or mosques; they should express themselves through our government. But Moses says: What I am commanding you is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.
The skeptical bent of my mind didn't suddenly vanish. I am aware that some question or justify the events of 9/11. That is why we are forging service projects in America that bring together Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Americans are ready to join with citizens and governments; community organizations, religious leaders, and businesses in Muslim communities around the world to help our people pursue a better life.
The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well. On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington.
It got hijacked. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women - students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors - found the courage to keep it alive. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't. There is no straight line to realize this promise.
E pluribus unum. It wasn't until after college, when I went to Chicago to work as a community organizer for a group of Christian churches, that I confronted my own spiritual dilemma. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either "too black" or "not black enough." We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. 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. So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. No matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who hold power: you must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.