The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq was a war of choice that provoked strong differences in my country and around the world.
We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology. That is in Israel's interest, Palestine's interest, America's interest, and the world's interest.
But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. It is where our union grows stronger. We are a better country than this. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.
John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves. Those stories - of survival, and freedom, and hope - became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Not just with words, but with deeds - by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most. Indeed, it suggests the opposite: we must face these tensions squarely. The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind.
Tonight is a particular honor for me because - let's face it - my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. 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. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans. And that's to be expected. For human history has often been a record of nations and tribes subjugating one another to serve their own interests.
God bless you.