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And so they need an assurance that somebody out there cares about them, is listening to them - that they are not just destined to travel down that long road toward nothingness. But she had a healthy skepticism of religion as an institution. On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America. And that is why we are providing more than $2.8 billion to help Afghans develop their economy and deliver services that people depend upon. Rather than remain trapped in the past, I have made it clear to Iran's leaders and people that my country is prepared to move forward.
Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.
And all across the country, communities of faith are sponsoring day care programs, building senior centers, and in so many other ways, taking part in the project of American renewal. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. And when the first Muslim-American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Koran that one of our Founding Fathers - Thomas Jefferson - kept in his personal library. Threatening Israel with destruction - or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews - is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve.
And that it's not enough to just believe this - we have to do our part to make it a reality. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain. That is what it means to share this world in the 21st century.
I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith. And yet Al Qaeda chose to ruthlessly murder these people, claimed credit for the attack, and even now states their determination to kill on a massive scale.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.