The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.
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. Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims. America's strong bonds with Israel are well known.
And so this will be a difficult debate next week. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today's black and white students. Out of work? Tough luck. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect the will of the people. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share.
Part of it's because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, who've been all too eager to exploit what divides us. Many bring up a specific issue. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office. Not even close. That won't keep America safe.
Today there are 12 million undocumented immigrants in America, most of them working in our communities, attending our churches, and contributing to our country. But privately, many Muslims recognize that Israel will not go away. The fourth issue that I will address is democracy.
Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.