The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
This is a difficult responsibility to embrace. Denying that fact is baseless, ignorant, and hateful.
And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter. John Kerry believes in America. 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. 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. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush. But we have a responsibility to join together on behalf of the world we seek - a world where extremists no longer threaten our people, and American troops have come home; a world where Israelis and Palestinians are each secure in a state of their own, and nuclear energy is used for peaceful purposes; a world where governments serve their citizens, and the rights of all God's children are respected.
That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted at least, most of the time. Iraq's sovereignty is its own.
So it's 1985, and I'm in Chicago, and I'm working with these churches, and with lots of laypeople who are much older than I am. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naive as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.
In a sense, what brought me to Chicago in the first place was a hunger for some sort of meaning in my life. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth and carrying out His works. These people are a part of me. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias. In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.