Obama Ipsum

There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Much has been made of the fact that an African-American with the name Barack Hussein Obama could be elected President. But privately, many Muslims recognize that Israel will not go away.

Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. Now let me be clear. I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. Too many tears have flowed.

My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. But I have asserted a firm conviction - a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people - that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share.

Finally, the Arab States must recognize that the Arab Peace Initiative was an important beginning, but not the end of their responsibilities. Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has played a role in acts of hostage-taking and violence against U.S. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away.

And there's another issue we must confront as well. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know. Palestinians must abandon violence.

God bless you.