The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
The hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. This same story can be told by people from South Africa to South Asia; from Eastern Europe to Indonesia.
And they want that choice. America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy that I do, if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do - if we do what we must do, then I have no doubts that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come. It is about preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that could lead this region and the world down a hugely dangerous path.
The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few. Now let me be clear: issues of women's equality are by no means simply an issue for Islam. Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons, and our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity - men and women - to reach their full potential.
From Willow Creek to the 'emerging church,' from the Southern Baptist Convention to the National Association of Evangelicals, folks are realizing that the four walls of the church are too small for a big God.God is still speaking. He said that our economy has made "great progress" under this President. As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam. Yet in this new age, such attitudes are self-defeating. Indeed, it suggests the opposite: we must face these tensions squarely. It will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but we will proceed with courage, rectitude and resolve.
But I think they also sensed that a part of me remained removed and detached - that I was an observer in their midst. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. 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.
God bless you.