The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
Consensus and compromise will not come easy. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. 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.
Hope in the face of uncertainty. I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. Let us be our brother's keeper, Scripture tells us. Moreover, freedom in America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one's religion.
I thought of the 900 men and women - sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who won't be returning to their own hometowns. We need to heed the biblical call to care for "the least of these" and lift the poor out of despair. And it's a lesson we need to remember today - as members of another Joshua generation. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. But this much is clear: governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure.
He does not say health care or the economy. No single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons.
The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty; joined Patton's army, marched across Europe. I believe that we have a righteous wind at our backs and that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us. In that time, I've had the chance to talk with Americans all across this country. It is that promise that has always set this country apart - that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy. And despite the costs involved, America's commitment will not weaken.
Thank you, and God bless America.