Obama Ipsum

Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own.

That is the true genius of America - a faith in simple dreams,, an insistence on small miracles. It's that folks are hungry for change - they're hungry for something new. A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family, contributed to the erosion of black families - a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change. To the love of my life, our next First Lady, Michelle Obama, and to Sasha and Malia - I love you so much, and I'm so proud of all of you. Resistance through violence and killing is wrong and does not succeed.

The hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. The third source of tension is our shared interest in the rights and responsibilities of nations on nuclear weapons.

On November 4th, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough." That is why we plan to invest $1.5 billion each year over the next five years to partner with Pakistanis to build schools and hospitals, roads and businesses, and hundreds of millions to help those who have been displaced.

We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America - to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives - by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny. We can tackle race only as spectacle - as we did in the OJ trial - or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people - Muslims and Christians - have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. We will open centers of scientific excellence in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and appoint new Science Envoys to collaborate on programs that develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water, and grow new crops.

Thank you.