Obama Ipsum

I'm hearing from progressives who understand that if we want to communicate our hopes and values to Americans, we can't abandon the field of religious discourse. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington.

Now don't get me wrong. We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honors the dignity of work. And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies. The richness of religious diversity must be upheld - whether it is for Maronites in Lebanon or the Copts in Egypt.

I have made a solemn pledge that I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term as president that will cover every American and cut the cost of a typical family's premiums by up to $2500 a year. Let us be our sister's keeper. America, our work will not be easy. It is easier to start wars than to end them.

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. And meeting them won't be easy. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.