2009 01 20 - B. Obama Speech as 44 President of the USA
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Goldmund
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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...
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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 forebears, 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 faint-hearted _ 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 towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in
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