My fellow citizens: I
stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you've
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, 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 short-cuts or settling for less.
It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those that 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 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 our 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'll 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. 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. The 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 the 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 -- (applause) -- our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that
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 sake.
And so, to all the 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 we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier
generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks,
but with the 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'll 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 non-believers. 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 the 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 role
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, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper
through the ages.
We honor them not only
because they are the 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 -- honesty and hard work, 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 in 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 the moment when the
outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered
these words to 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.
Thank you. God bless you.
And God bless the United States of America.
https://youtu.be/VjnygQ02aW4
