The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
Our conscience cannot rest until we not only secure our borders, but give the 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country a chance to earn their citizenship by paying a fine and waiting in line behind all those who came here legally. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose - our sense of higher purpose. The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few. No single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons.
I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe. Our government should work for us, not against us. Fear that because of modernity we will lose of control over our economic choices, our politics, and most importantly our identities - those things we most cherish about our communities, our families, our traditions, and our faith. I am emphasizing such investments within my country.
I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible. That's why pastors, friends of mine like Rick Warren and T.D. Jakes and organizations like World Vision and Catholic Charities are wielding their enormous influence to confront poverty, HIV/AIDS, and the genocide in Darfur. To the Joshua generation, these challenges seem momentous - and they are. I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country.
That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's an idea that's often forgotten or dismissed in cynical times. 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 anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.
But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. Not this time. Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty.
Thank you very much everybody.