The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
Let me be clear. My mother, whose parents were non-practicing Baptists and Methodists, was one of the most spiritual souls I ever knew. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias. We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honors the dignity of work. And you know what - it's worked before. Moreover, freedom in America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one's religion.
This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and the fall of dusk.
But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me. 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. That is why I am committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat.
Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation - not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Let me be clear. They saw that I knew the Scriptures and that many of the values I held and that propelled me in my work were values they shared. But it was not violence that won full and equal rights. The third source of tension is our shared interest in the rights and responsibilities of nations on nuclear weapons.
Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. He simply says to everyone in the room, "I am here because of Ashley." I am aware that some question or justify the events of 9/11. I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources.
Thank you very much everybody.