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巴拉克·奥巴马:今晚,此刻,我们相信 ――参议员巴拉克·奥巴马在艾奥瓦党团会议选举获胜之夜的演讲,2008年1月3日 巴拉克·奥巴马 文 海星 译 我衷心感谢艾奥瓦的公民们。 众所周知,有人说这一天永远不会到来。 有人说我们好高骛远。 有人说人民异见纷呈,悲观失望,不可能再为了一个共同的目标而众志成城。 但在这个一月的夜晚,在这个书写历史的时刻,你们做到了那些愤世嫉俗的人断言我们做不到的事。五天后新罕布什尔州的选民也将完成你们的壮举。在刚刚来到的2008年,美国人民也会完成同样的壮举。在学校和教堂,在小市镇和大城市,你们——民主党人、共和党人、无党派人士——熙熙攘攘地走到一起,自豪地宣称:我们是一个国家,我们是一个民族;变革的时刻已经到来。你们还说,华盛顿被冷酷、萎缩和愤怒所淹没,现在是超越这种政治手段、以相加替代分割的时刻,是在红州和蓝州建立变革联盟的时刻。这是因为我们将以此在11月取胜,我们也将以此面对我们国家面临的挑战。 我们选择希望,抛弃恐惧;我们选择联合,拒绝分裂;我们向美利坚高声宣布变革就在眼前。 你们宣布,政治说客自以为他们的财富和影响力比公众舆论的威力更大,但是他们并不拥有这个政府。政府是我们的,我们正在把它收回。 人民此刻需要这样一位总统:他能诚实面对机遇和挑战;即使跟人民见解不同也会倾听和了解他们的想法;他不仅要说人民愿意听到的话,更要提供人民需要知道的信息。如果新罕布什尔也给我今晚艾奥瓦给我的机会,我将会是这样一位总统。 感谢你们。 我会是这样一位总统:让每个人都能看上病和看得起病。我在伊利诺斯州就通过民主党人和共和党人的携手合作实现了这一目标。 我会是这样一位总统:终止所有把工作运往海外的公司的税收优惠政策,并给美国最值得享受减税的中产阶级减税。 我会是这样一位总统:让农场主、科学家和企业家发挥他们的创造力,使我们国家一劳永逸地摆脱石油的主宰。 最后,我会是这样一位总统:我要结束伊拉克战争并让我们的士兵回家;我要恢复我们的道德地位;我知道9/11不是骗取选票的借口,而是使美国和世界联合起来应对21世纪这个世界面临的共同威胁:恐怖主义和核扩散,全球变暖和贫困,种族屠杀和疾病。 今晚,因为艾奥瓦公民的选择,我们距离那样的美国蓝图又近了一步。在此,我特别想感谢选举的组织者和各个投票站的站长、志愿者和我的竞选团队的工作人员。没有你们就没有今晚的胜利。 当我站在这里表达谢意时,我想有必要感谢我的至爱,奥巴马家庭的坚实后盾,竞选旅途的殿后者,米歇尔·奥巴马。 我明白你们不是为了我才这样做的。你们这样做,你们这样做,是因为你们坚信一个美国信念,那就是,无论条件多么艰难困苦,相信这个国家的人是可以改变它的。 我明白这一点,我明白这一点,是因为虽然我此刻站在这里,我永远也不会忘记我的行程从芝加哥的街头开始。我曾经作过你们为我的竞选和艾奥瓦所有的竞选作过的一切:组织,工作,为了让人民的生活能够得到一点点改善而奋斗。 我知道这样的工作的艰辛,睡眠不足,薪酬低微,大量的自我牺牲,失望常常伴随着我们。但是偶尔,仅仅是偶尔,也会有象今晚这样的时刻,在这样一个夜晚,这样一个我们数年后想起来会自豪地说那个更好的美国就是从那个时刻开始的夜晚。在这样的美国,我们实现了我们坚信不移的变革:更多的家庭看得起病;我们的孩子,我的女儿玛利亚和萨沙和你们的孩子会生活在一个更干净和更安全的星球上;世界将以不同的眼光来看待美国,而美国将把自己看作一个更少歧见、更多团结的国家。 这一刻是勇往直前的人击败了华盛顿总是说战无不胜的人的时刻。 这一刻是我们拆除长久分裂我们的藩篱,让不同党派和不同年龄的人们为了一个共同的目的联合起来,并给那些从不过问政治的人们一个关心政治的理由的一刻。 这一刻是我们终于击退恐惧、疑虑和犬儒主义政治的一刻,是我们用国家携手向上替代政客相互践踏的政治的一刻。这是我们期待的那一刻。 数年后,遥想往事,你们也许会说,就是这一刻,在这个地方——美国人民记起希望究竟意味这什么。 几个月以来,我们因为谈论希望而遭到挖苦,甚至嘲弄。 但我们一直认为,希望不是盲目的乐观主义。希望不是忽视未来的艰巨任务或横亘在我们前行道路上的障碍。希望不是置身事外或从拼斗中退缩。希望是我们心中坚守一种东西:它告诉我们,不管遭遇多少艰难险阻,只要有勇气去争取,只要愿意付出努力和艰辛,更好的东西就会等待我们。 我在一个来自樟泉(Cedar Rapids)的年轻女士的眼中看到了希望:她白天全天在大学上课,晚上加夜班,但却仍然不能负担生病的妹妹的医疗费;但她仍相信这个国家会提供她实现梦想的机会。 我从一个来自新罕布什尔州的妇女的声音中听到了希望:她告诉我自从她的侄儿奔赴伊拉克战场她就一直感到气短;但是她每晚睡觉前都要为侄子的安全回归祈祷。 希望引领一群殖民者揭竿而起反对一个帝国;希望引领我们伟大的祖先解放了一个大陆,复活了一个民族;希望引领青年男女为了自由围坐在(不向黑人提供服务)的餐桌旁,引领他们勇敢地面对高压水龙,穿越(阿拉巴马州的)塞尔玛和蒙哥马利。 希望,希望引领我今天来到这里,——我的父亲来自肯尼亚,母亲来自堪萨斯,这样的故事只可能发生在美利坚合众国。希望是美利坚民族的基石,希望是我们执着的信仰:我们的命运不是被人写就,而是要由我们自己写就,由那些不愿意勉强接受这个世界并信心百倍地按照它应该变成的蓝图去改造它的男男女女们写就。 这就是我们从艾奥瓦开始的开拓,这也是我们要向新罕布什尔州和其他州传达的信息。我们顺利的时候没有忘记它,失利的时候也没有忘记它。这个信息可以帮助我们一块砖一块砖地、一条街道一条街道地、一只接一只布满老茧的手地去改变这个国家。团结起来,普通人也能铸就宏图伟业,因为我们不是红色的州或蓝色的州的组合,我们是美利坚合众州。在此刻,在这次选举中,我们乐于再次相信。谢谢,艾奥瓦。 关于这篇演讲的一些解释: 1)1月4日,艾奥瓦举行2008年总统选举全国第一次预选--政党党团选举会议。奥巴马出奇制胜。这篇演讲是他在获胜后发表的讲话。在场听到他演讲的和后来看到他的演讲稿的美国学者、官员和普通人先后提出奥巴马不仅仅是一个候选人,他是一场运动。 2)奥巴马试图借艾奥瓦的东风在1月11日的新罕布什尔州的预选中击败对手希拉里·克林顿。当时的民调也显示奥巴马领先克林顿。但是,由于比尔·克林顿对奥巴马的攻击和希拉里·克林顿的第一次流泪,选民开始出现摇摆。最终希拉里在新罕布什尔获胜。 3)奥巴马本科毕业于哥伦比亚大学,之后在哈佛大学法学院获得法学博士。奥巴马的妻子米歇尔在芝加哥大学任职。他们有两个女儿。 4)奥巴马的父亲来自肯尼亚,据说是目前肯尼亚反对党领袖奥丁加的叔叔。他在夏威夷读书时认识了那里的研究生,奥巴马的母亲。奥巴马两岁的时候,他父亲返回非洲。 5)红州指共和党控制的州,蓝州指民主党势力大的州。 6)“希望引领青年男女为了自由围坐在(不向黑人提供服务)的餐桌旁,引领他们勇敢地面对高压水龙,穿越(阿拉巴马州的)塞尔玛和蒙哥马利。”这句话是指60年代黑人为了抵抗种族隔离举行的示威、静坐和游行。 更多了解美国选举制度和政党政治,2008年美国的大选,请点击本站系列专稿: 追踪美国大选(I)1月21日至2月7日、追踪美国大选(II)2月7日-2月29日“美国总统、总统选举和政党政治”、关中人:开场即惊心动魄的2008年美国大选 、斯坦福大学研究员:巴拉克·奥巴马有魅力没“理念” 、 关中人:911改变美国青年 美国青年改变美国政治、让奥巴马迈向白宫的演讲:希望就是勇气,希望就是力量 、巴拉克·奥巴马:今晚,此刻,我们相信、关中人:猜测奥巴马的中国政策、亚裔人支持克林顿 媒体影射其种族歧视、吕芳:从08大选看美国社会的族群分裂。 英文原文: Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: Iowa Caucus Night Des Moines, IA | January 03, 2008 Thank you, Iowa. You know, they said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose. But on this January night - at this defining moment in history - you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. You have done what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days. You have done what America can do in this New Year, 2008. In lines that stretched around schools and churches; in small towns and big cities; you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come. You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that's consumed Washington; to end the political strategy that's been all about division and instead make it about addition - to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. Because that's how we'll win in November, and that's how we'll finally meet the challenges that we face as a nation. We are choosing hope over fear. We're choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America. You said the time has come to tell the lobbyists who think their money and their influence speak louder than our voices that they don't own this government, we do; and we are here to take it back. The time has come for a President who will be honest about the choices and the challenges we face; who will listen to you and learn from you even when we disagree; who won't just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know. And in New Hampshire, if you give me the same chance that Iowa did tonight, I will be that president for America. Thank you. I'll be a President who finally makes health care affordable and available to every single American the same way I expanded health care in Illinois - by--by bringing Democrats and Republicans together to get the job done. I'll be a President who ends the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas and put a middle-class tax cut into the pockets of the working Americans who deserve it. I'll be a President who harnesses the ingenuity of farmers and scientists and entrepreneurs to free this nation from the tyranny of oil once and for all. And I'll be a President who ends this war in Iraq and finally brings our troops home; who restores our moral standing; who understands that 9/11 is not a way to scare up votes, but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the twenty-first century; common threats of terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. Tonight, we are one step closer to that vision of America because of what you did here in Iowa. And so I'd especially like to thank the organizers and the precinct captains; the volunteers and the staff who made this all possible. And while I'm at it, on "thank yous," I think it makes sense for me to thank the love of my life, the rock of the Obama family, the closer on the campaign trail; give it up for Michelle Obama. I know you didn't do this for me. You did this-you did this because you believed so deeply in the most American of ideas - that in the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it. I know this-I know this because while I may be standing here tonight, I'll never forget that my journey began on the streets of Chicago doing what so many of you have done for this campaign and all the campaigns here in Iowa - organizing, and working, and fighting to make people's lives just a little bit better. I know how hard it is. It comes with little sleep, little pay, and a lot of sacrifice. There are days of disappointment, but sometimes, just sometimes, there are nights like this - a night-a night that, years from now, when we've made the changes we believe in; when more families can afford to see a doctor; when our children-when Malia and Sasha and your children-inherit a planet that's a little cleaner and safer; when the world sees America differently, and America sees itself as a nation less divided and more united; you'll be able to look back with pride and say that this was the moment when it all began. This was the moment when the improbable beat what Washington always said was inevitable. This was the moment when we tore down barriers that have divided us for too long - when we rallied people of all parties and ages to a common cause; when we finally gave Americans who'd never participated in politics a reason to stand up and to do so. This was the moment when we finally beat back the politics of fear, and doubt, and cynicism; the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up. This was the moment. Years from now, you'll look back and you'll say that this was the moment - this was the place - where America remembered what it means to hope. For many months, we've been teased, even derided for talking about hope. But we always knew that hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it. Hope is what I saw in the eyes of the young woman in Cedar Rapids who works the night shift after a full day of college and still can't afford health care for a sister who's ill; a young woman who still believes that this country will give her the chance to live out her dreams. Hope is what I heard in the voice of the New Hampshire woman who told me that she hasn't been able to breathe since her nephew left for Iraq; who still goes to bed each night praying for his safe return. Hope is what led a band of colonists to rise up against an empire; what led the greatest of generations to free a continent and heal a nation; what led young women and young men to sit at lunch counters and brave fire hoses and march through Selma and Montgomery for freedom's cause. Hope-hope-is what led me here today - with a father from Kenya; a mother from Kansas; and a story that could only happen in the United States of America. Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have the courage to remake the world as it should be. That is what we started here in Iowa, and that is the message we can now carry to New Hampshire and beyond; the same message we had when we were up and when we were down; the one that can change this country brick by brick, block by block, calloused hand by calloused hand - that together, ordinary people can do extraordinary things; because we are not a collection of Red States and Blue States, we are the United States of America; and at this moment, in this election, we are ready to believe again. Thank you, Iowa.

米歇尔演讲英文稿

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张小凡09

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食遍金陵

Thank you, South Carolina. Thank you to the rock of my life, Michelle Obama. Thank you to Malia and Sasha Obama, who haven't seen their daddy in a week. Thank you to Pete Skidmore for his outstanding service to our country and being such a great supporter of this campaign. Watch a thankful Obama after his primary win » Over two weeks ago, we saw the people of Iowa proclaim that our time for change has come. But there were those who doubted this country's desire for something new, who said Iowa was a fluke, not to be repeated again. Don't Miss Obama wins big in South Carolina primary ElectionCenter 2008: South Carolina Well, tonight, the cynics who believed that what began in the snows of Iowa was just an illusion were told a different story by the good people of South Carolina. After four -- after four great contests, in every corner of this country, we have the most votes, the most delegates, and the most diverse coalition of Americans that we've seen in a long, long time. You can see it in the faces here tonight. There are young and old, rich and poor. They are black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American. They are Democrats from Des Moines and independents from Concord and, yes, some Republicans from rural Nevada. And we've got young people all across this country who have never had a reason to participate until now. And in nine days, in nine short days, nearly half the nation will have the chance to join us in saying that we are tired of business as usual in Washington. We are hungry for change and we are ready to believe again. But if there's anything, though, that we have been reminded of since Iowa, it's that the kind of change we seek will not come easy, partly because we have fine candidates in this race, fierce competitors who are worthy of our respect and our admiration. And as contentious as this campaign may get, we have to remember that this is a contest for the Democratic nomination. And that all of us share an abiding desire to end the disastrous policies of the current administration. But there are real differences between the candidates. We are looking for more than just a change of party in the White House. We're looking to fundamentally change the status quo in Washington. It's a status quo that extends beyond any particular party and right now that status quo is fighting back with everything it's got, with the same old tactics that divide and distract us from solving the problems people face, whether those problems are health care that folks can't afford or a mortgage they cannot pay. So this will not be easy. Make no mistake about what we're up against. We're up against the belief that it's all right for lobbyists to dominate our government, that they are just part of the system in Washington. But we know that the undue influence of lobbyists is part of the problem and this election is our chance to say that we are not going to let them stand in our way anymore. We're up against the conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as president comes from longevity in Washington or proximity to the White House. But we know that real leadership is about candor and judgment and the ability to rally Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose, a higher purpose. 这里有中文版

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叶子晓桐

我今天来到这里,是因为我知道,我们的未来,取决于全世界像你们这样的年轻人之间的联系。这也是为什么我们夫妇在国外访问时,不只参观宫殿和会晤国家元首。我们也来到学校,与像你们一样的学生见面。因为我们相信,国与国之间的关系不只是政府或领导人之间的关系,它们是人民间―特别是年轻人之间的关系。因此,我们认为海外留学项目不只是为学生提供的教育机会,还是美国外交政策至关重要的组成部分。“读万卷书,不如行万里路”你们看,通过现代技术奇迹,我们的世界比以往任何时候都更多地联系在一起。思想可以通过点击按钮跨越海洋。全球各地的公司可以进行业务往来和相互竞争。我们可以与各大洲的人们通过短信、电子邮件和Skype进行沟通。因此,出国留学不只是以开心的方式度过一个学期―它正迅速成为全球化经济中取得成功的关键。因为要走在当今职场的前沿,只在学校里取得好成绩是不够的,还应拥有国境外的真实体验:对完全不同的语言、文化和社会的体验。正如中国的一句古话所说:读万卷书,不如行万里路。我想要说的是,出国留学绝不仅是改善你们自己的未来,它也关乎塑造你们的国家、关乎我们共有的世界的未来。因为我们这个时代的决定性挑战一一无论是气侯变化、经济机遇,还是核武器扩散一一这些都是我们共同的挑战。没有任何一个国家能够单独应对它们……唯一的出路就是共同携手。“共同携手”这就是为什么年轻人到彼此国家学习和生活是如此重要。因为这是你们培养合作习惯的途径一一你们通过融入不同的文化,通过了解彼此的故事,通过跨越常常隔膜我们的成见和误解,来做到这一点。这是你们了解到我们共享多少东西的途径。这是你们认识到我们的成功惠及彼此的途径。在北京发现的治序方法可以挽救在美国的生命,来自加州硅谷的清洁能源技术可以改善中国的环境,西安一座古老寺庙的架构可激发达拉斯或者底特律新建筑设计的灵感。这是你们与同学、实验伙伴建立起的联系能带来更多收获的时候。阿比盖尔·柯普林成为北京大学美国富布赖特学者的时候,她与同事们在首屈一指的科学杂志上共同发表论文,建立研究伙伴关系,这段关系在他们各自回国后还长久持续着。来自北京大学的牛可教授是去年的美国富布赖特学者。我引述下他的话,“最难忘的经历是和我的美国朋友们在一起。”这些长久的纽带代表留学的真正价值,我很兴奋,越来越多的学生正得到这样的机会。米歇尔现身说法谈留学中国目前是美国人留学的第五大热门目的地。今天的美国,来自中国的交换生数量最多。尽管如此,太多的学生从来没有这样的机会,而一些有机会的学生则犹豫是否要抓住它。他们可能觉得留学只是有钱的学生或来自某类大学的学生的事。或者,他们可能心里想,“嗯,这听起来很有趣,但它在我的生活中真正有多大用处?”我理解这些年轻人,因为我在上大学时也有同样的感受。你们知道,我来自一个工薪阶层家庭,我甚至从来没想过留学。我的父母没有上过大学,我将精力集中在进入大学并获得学位,这样我就可以得到一份工作并养活自己。对于很多像我一样靠奋斗才能读得起一个常规学期的年轻人来说,支付世界另一边的机票或生活费实在是不可能的。这是不可接受的,因为留学不应仅属于有一些背景的学生。我们希望在所有种族和社会经济背景的人之间建立联系,因为正是这样的多样性让我们的国家如此充满活力和强大……我们的海外留学项目应向世界反映美国的真正精神。这就是为什么在2009年我的丈夫访问中国时,宣布了我们的100,000项倡议,该倡议旨在增加留学中国的美国学生的数量和多样性。而今年,在我们纪念中美两国关系正常化三十五周年之际……美国政府实际上支持更多的美国学生在中国学习。我们正将高中生、大学生和研究生送到这里来学习中文,我们正邀请中国老师到美国的尝较教授普通话,我们为希望留学美国的中国学生提供免费的在线咨询。美中富布赖特项目仍在加强,现有3000多名学友。私人部门也在加紧工作。例如,美国黑石公司的主管斯蒂夫·施瓦茨曼正在资助清华大学模仿罗德奖学全(Rhode、Scholarship)的一个新项目。“你不需要登上飞机才能成为公民外交官”今天,来自不同背景的学生正在中国学习。以来自俄亥俄州克利夫兰的罗亚尔为例,她参加了纽约大学在上海的项目。像我一样,罗亚尔是家里的第一代大学生。她母亲做两份全职工作,而她父亲晚上工作以维持他们的家庭。谈到她在上海的经历时,她说:“这座城市充满韧性,它激励我完成所有我能做的事。”还有来自华盛顿大学的腓力门·海尔,他还是孩子的时候,他的家人作为厄立特里亚难民来到了美国。谈到他在中国学习的经历时,他说:“在我们进入公民外交的新时代之际,留学是人民间交流的一种强大工具。”“一个公民外交的新时代”一一我想不出比这更好的说法了,因为这正是我正在谈的,那就是普通公民走向世界。正如我经常对美国年轻认说的那样,你不需要登上飞机才能成为公民外交官。我告诉他们,如果你在家里、学校或者图书馆能上网,只要几秒钟,你就可以被带到世界任何地方,遇见来自每个大陆的人。这就是为什么我每天都要发一篇旅行博文,里面有我这次中国之行的视频和照片―因为我希望美国的年轻人能成为这次访问的一部分。这确实是技术的力量―它打开整个世界,让我们接触到以前根本难以想象的思想和创新。这也是为什么信息和思想在互联网上、并通过媒体自由流动是如此重要。因为那是我们发现真理的途径,那使我们得以了解我们的社群、我们的国家和我们的世界到底在发生着什么。那也是我们何以决定哪些价值观和思想是最好的―通过有力地对它们提出疑问,进行辩论,倾听各方观点,并做出自己的判断。相信我,我知道这是一个令人困惑而沮丧的过程。有大量来自我们媒体和公民的质疑和批评,而我丈夫和我位于接收端。这并非易事,但我们认为它的重要无可取代。因为我们一次又一次地看到,当所有公民的声音和观点都能得到倾听之时,国家会变得更加强大和繁荣。正像我的丈夫曾说过的,我们尊重其他文化和社会的独特性。然而,就自由的表达自我、选择自己所崇拜的东西,以及享有信息公开而言―我们相信那是地球上每个人与生俱来的权利。“美国面孔”,“中国面孔”我们相信,所有人都应享有实现自己最大潜能的机会,正如我在美国所能做到的那样。同时,当你在中国这里以及在美国了解新的文化、结交新的朋友之时,你整个人就是那些价值观的鲜活代表。所以我保证,通过出国留学,你们不仅在改变自己的人生,也在改变你所遇到的每个人的人生。正像伟大的美国总统约翰·肯尼迪谈到留学美国的外国学生时说的那样,“我想他们所教的比他们学到的还要多。”而对出国学习的年径美国人来说也是一样的。对世界而言,你们所有人都是最好的美国面孔,和最好的中国面孔。每一天,你们都在向世界展示你们国家的能量、创造力、乐观,以及对未来坚定不移的信念。每一天,你们都在提醒我们,通过跨越国界,学会在彼此身上看到我们自己,和用共同的决心应对我们共同的挑战。所以,我希望你们都会不断寻求这样的经历。我希望你们能继续受益于彼此,互相学习,同时建立起友谊的纽带,而这些纽带能在未来数十年丰富你们的生活,也丰富我们的世界。你们大家都有这么多可以给予世界,我热切期待着你们未 来的成就。

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清清河中

奥巴马演讲全文(英文)2009年01月21日 02:05【大 中 小】 【打印】My fellow citizens:I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day -- because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control -- and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.This is the price and the promise of citizenship.This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

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