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I learned that those things I was too weak to accomplish myself, He would accomplish with me if I placed my trust in Him. I didn't fall out in church, as folks sometimes do. It was stained by this nation's original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations. But it also comes from my own American story. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (peace be upon them) joined in prayer.
And it's a lesson we need to remember today - as members of another Joshua generation. 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. Not this time. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need. Israel must also live up to its obligations to ensure that Palestinians can live, and work, and develop their society.
The people I meet - in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks - they don't expect government to solve all their problems. This is a problem that's brought together churches and synagogues and mosques and people of all faiths as part of a grassroots movement. It's not enough, but it's helping. 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. No single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons. We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.
The skeptical bent of my mind didn't suddenly vanish. It's an idea that's often forgotten or dismissed in cynical times. And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East. This is a difficult responsibility to embrace.
Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism. Israel must also live up to its obligations to ensure that Palestinians can live, and work, and develop their society.
Thank you.