The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
It's been several months now since I announced I was running for president. But we cannot walk away this time. This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. The Holy Bible tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest - a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours - Hillary Rodham Clinton. And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush Administration, even after we learned that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus while we're wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war. So whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners of it.
Now let me be clear. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.
Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can't teach our kids to learn - they know that parents have to teach, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. And we should close Guantanamo Bay and stop tolerating the torture of our enemies. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. We are the party of Kennedy. Because I've lived it.
And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents - I say to you tonight: we have more work to do. When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world. I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Make no mistake: we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. But this much is clear: governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure.
Thank you.