The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
E pluribus unum. No, the word is very near. The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. And nothing will change. Not even close. I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles.
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. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting there quietly the entire time. And when one of his chief advisors - the man who wrote his economic plan - was talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a "mental recession," and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners." But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need. The Palestinian Authority must develop its capacity to govern, with institutions that serve the needs of its people.
I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night. It's not because John McCain doesn't care. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. They have affiliates in many countries and are trying to expand their reach.
That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. We can recognize the truth that's at the heart of the UCC: that the conversation is not over; that our roles are not defined; that through ancient texts and modern voices, God is still speaking, challenging us to change not just our own lives, but the world around us. I'm hearing from evangelicals who may not agree with progressives on every issue but agree that poverty has no place in a world of plenty; that hate has no place in the hearts of believers; and that we all have to be good stewards of God's creations. Although I believe that the Iraqi people are ultimately better off without the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, I also believe that events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible. America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election.
It's that we all have it within our power to make this a better world. Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution - a Constitution that had at is very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know. I am aware that some question or justify the events of 9/11.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.