My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for thetrust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by ourancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, aswell as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout thistransition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. Thewords have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and thestill waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidstgathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America hascarried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those inhigh office, but because we the people have remained faithful tothe ideals of our forebears, and true to our foundingdocuments.
So it has been. So it must be with thisgeneration of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Ournation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence andhatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed andirresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collectivefailure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our healthcare is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day bringsfurther evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen ouradversaries 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 confidenceacross our land — a nagging fear that America's decline isinevitable, and that the next generation must lower itssights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They areserious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in ashort span of time. But know this, America — they will bemet.
On this day, we gather because we have chosenhope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict anddiscord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to thepetty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and wornout dogmas, that for far too long have strangled ourpolitics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the timehas come to set aside childish things. The time has come toreaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; tocarry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on fromgeneration to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal,all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measureof happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand thatgreatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey hasnever been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not beenthe path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure overwork, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it hasbeen the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — somecelebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, whohave carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity andfreedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldlypossessions and traveled across oceans in search of a newlife.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled theWest; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hardearth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord andGettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the mostprosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no lessproductive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no lessinventive, our goods and services no less needed than they werelast week or last month or last year. Our capacity remainsundiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrowinterests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time hassurely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dustourselves off, and begin again the work of remakingAmerica.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and wewill act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundationfor growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric gridsand digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. Wewill restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology'swonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We willharness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and runour factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges anduniversities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do.All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — whosuggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Theirmemories are short. For they have forgotten what this country hasalready done; what free men and women can achieve when imaginationis joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that theground has shifted beneath them — that the stale politicalarguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. Thequestion we ask today is not whether our government is too big ortoo small, but whether it works — whether it helps families findjobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that isdignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward.Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who managethe 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 peopleand their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force forgood or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom isunmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchfuleye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannotprosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of oureconomy has always depended not just on the size of our grossdomestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on ourability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out ofcharity, but because it is the surest route to our commongood.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice betweenour safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our foundfathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted acharter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charterexpanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light theworld, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And soto all the other peoples and governments who are watching today,from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father wasborn: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man,woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and thatwe are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communismnot just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances andenduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannotprotect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead,they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; oursecurity emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of ourexample, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles oncemore, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort— even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. Wewill begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge ahard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes,we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll backthe specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our wayof life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seekto advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughteringinnocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannotbe broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not aweakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews andHindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language andculture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we havetasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emergedfrom that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help butbelieve that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines oftribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, ourcommon humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play itsrole in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutualinterest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe whoseek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West —know that your people will judge you on what you can build, notwhat you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruptionand deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on thewrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you arewilling to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you tomake your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourishstarved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations likeours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer affordindifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can weconsume the world's resources without regard to effect. For theworld has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember withhumble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour,patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have somethingto tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisperthrough the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardiansof our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; awillingness 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 thefaith and determination of the American people upon which thisnation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when thelevees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cuttheir hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us throughour darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm astairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness tonurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments withwhich we meet them may be new. But those values upon which oursuccess depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play,tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things areold. These things are true. They have been the quiet force ofprogress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a returnto these truths. What is required of us now is a new era ofresponsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, thatwe have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties thatwe do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in theknowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, sodefining of our character, than giving our all to a difficulttask.
This is the price and the promise ofcitizenship.
This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God callson us to shape an uncertaindestiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men andwomen and children of every race and every faith can join incelebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whosefather less than sixty years ago might not have been served at alocal restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacredoath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how farwe have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest ofmonths, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on theshores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy wasadvancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when theoutcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of ournation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth ofwinter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that thecity and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth tomeet (it)."
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of ourhardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope andvirtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure whatstorms may come. Let it be said by our children's children thatwhen we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we didnot turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizonand God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift offreedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless theUnited States of America.
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