The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
Imagine Lincoln's Second Inaugural without its reference to "the judgments of the Lord." Or King's "I Have a Dream" speech without its reference to "all of God's children." Or President Kennedy's Inaugural without the words, "here on Earth, God's work must truly be our own." At each of these junctures, by summoning a higher truth and embracing a universal faith, our leaders inspired ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. These are the Americans that I know. That won't keep America safe. America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. In ancient times and in our times, Muslim communities have been at the forefront of innovation and education.
It is not up in heaven. The situation in Afghanistan demonstrates America's goals, and our need to work together. I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources. America will align our policies with those who pursue peace, and say in public what we say in private to Israelis and Palestinians and Arabs.
And that man is John Kerry. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope? In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President John Adams wrote, "The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims." And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States. But that is not yet the case. The richness of religious diversity must be upheld - whether it is for Maronites in Lebanon or the Copts in Egypt. In Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia, we have seen Muslim-majority countries elect a woman to lead.
You know, a while back, I met a young man named Shamus [Seamus?] in a V.F.W. What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. On education, we will expand exchange programs, and increase scholarships, like the one that brought my father to America, while encouraging more Americans to study in Muslim communities.
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. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. Threatening Israel with destruction - or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews - is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve.
Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.