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The hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds. We have to do what we can, knowing it's hard and not swinging from a naive idealism to a bitter defeatism - but rather, accepting the fact that we're not going to solve every problem overnight, but we can still make a difference. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. And when innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our collective conscience. We seek no military bases there.
But I also get the sense that there's a hunger that's deeper than that - a hunger that goes beyond any single cause or issue. It wasn't until after college, when I went to Chicago to work as a community organizer for a group of Christian churches, that I confronted my own spiritual dilemma. Religious leaders like my friends Rev. Jim Wallis and Rabbi David Saperstein and Nathan Diament are working for justice and fighting for change.
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. We're not going to agree on everything, but we can disagree without being disagreeable.
It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied. That is why the United States will partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded literacy for girls, and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams.
It's that we all have it within our power to make this a better world. What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them. This has bred more fear and mistrust. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith. Let me also address the issue of Iraq. Too many tears have flowed.
Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.