Let's come together - Protestant and Catholic, Muslim and Hindu and Jew, believer and non-believer alike. And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush Administration, even after we learned that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus while we're wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from. Moreover, freedom in America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one's religion. Finally, the Arab States must recognize that the Arab Peace Initiative was an important beginning, but not the end of their responsibilities.
Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races. The same is true for the astonishing progress within Muslim-majority countries from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai.
But I've got news for them, too. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed. Because that was the cheapest way to eat. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save.
Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it. This truth transcends nations and peoples - a belief that isn't new; that isn't black or white or brown; that isn't Christian, or Muslim or Jew.
The people I meet - in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks - they don't expect government to solve all their problems. Let us be our brother's keeper, Scripture tells us. Iraq's sovereignty is its own. Americans are ready to join with citizens and governments; community organizations, religious leaders, and businesses in Muslim communities around the world to help our people pursue a better life.
And there's another issue we must confront as well. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. For we have a choice in this country. 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. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. I've seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.
John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves. These enemies must be found. And I've found that no matter where I am, or who I'm talking to, there's a common theme that emerges. It wasn't until after college, when I went to Chicago to work as a community organizer for a group of Christian churches, that I confronted my own spiritual dilemma. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead.
A belief that we're all connected as one people. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism. As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. Of course, recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning of our task. troops and civilians.
That's not simply a matter of policy or ideology - it's a moral commitment. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together - unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction - towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren. Many bring up a specific issue. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. That is why the U.S. The issues that I have described will not be easy to address.
The hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds. Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent. The obligations that the parties have agreed to under the Road Map are clear.
Thank you, and God bless America.