Obama Ipsum

John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and service because they've defined his life. Nor is it beyond the sea. And if we can do that - if we can embrace a common destiny - then I believe we'll not just help bring about a more hopeful day in America, we'll not just be caring for our own souls, we'll be doing God's work here on Earth. It's been about you. This bond is unbreakable. I know that for many, the face of globalization is contradictory.

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. When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk.

They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. When violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered across an ocean. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort - a sustained effort - to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.

Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong.

I'd been inspired by the civil rights movement - by all the clear-eyed, straight-backed, courageous young people who'd boarded buses and traveled down South to march and sit at lunch counters, and lay down their lives in some cases for freedom. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should've been authorized and never should've been waged, and we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned. And just as we keep our keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad.

Thank you very much everybody.