For Immediate Release
Office of the Press
Secretary
January 31, 2006
President
Bush Delivers State of the Union Address
United States
Capitol
Washington, D.C.
State of the Union
2006
A Strong
America Leading the World
American
Competitiveness Initiative
The
Advanced Energy Initiative
Affordable
And Accessible Health Care
9:12 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of
Congress, members of the Supreme Court and diplomatic corps, distinguished
guests, and fellow citizens: Today our nation lost a beloved, graceful,
courageous woman who called America to its founding ideals and carried on a
noble dream. Tonight we are comforted by the hope of a glad reunion with the
husband who was taken so long ago, and we are grateful for the good life of
Coretta Scott King. (Applause.)
Every time I'm invited to this rostrum, I'm humbled by the privilege, and
mindful of the history we've seen together. We have gathered under this Capitol
dome in moments of national mourning and national achievement. We have served
America through one of the most consequential periods of our history -- and it
has been my honor to serve with you.
In a system of two parties, two chambers, and two elected branches, there
will always be differences and debate. But even tough debates can be conducted
in a civil tone, and our differences cannot be allowed to harden into anger. To
confront the great issues before us, we must act in a spirit of goodwill and
respect for one another -- and I will do my part. Tonight the state of our Union
is strong -- and together we will make it stronger. (Applause.)
In this decisive year, you and I will make choices that determine both the
future and the character of our country. We will choose to act confidently in
pursuing the enemies of freedom -- or retreat from our duties in the hope of an
easier life. We will choose to build our prosperity by leading the world economy
-- or shut ourselves off from trade and opportunity. In a complex and
challenging time, the road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and
inviting -- yet it ends in danger and decline. The only way to protect our
people, the only way to secure the peace, the only way to control our destiny is
by our leadership -- so the United States of America will continue to lead.
(Applause.)
Abroad, our nation is committed to an historic, long-term goal -- we seek the
end of tyranny in our world. Some dismiss that goal as misguided idealism. In
reality, the future security of America depends on it. On September the 11th,
2001, we found that problems originating in a failed and oppressive state 7,000
miles away could bring murder and destruction to our country. Dictatorships
shelter terrorists, and feed resentment and radicalism, and seek weapons of mass
destruction. Democracies replace resentment with hope, respect the rights of
their citizens and their neighbors, and join the fight against terror. Every
step toward freedom in the world makes our country safer -- so we will act
boldly in freedom's cause. (Applause.)
Far from being a hopeless dream, the advance of freedom is the great story of
our time. In 1945, there were about two dozen lonely democracies in the world.
Today, there are 122. And we're writing a new chapter in the story of
self-government -- with women lining up to vote in Afghanistan, and millions of
Iraqis marking their liberty with purple ink, and men and women from Lebanon to
Egypt debating the rights of individuals and the necessity of freedom. At the
start of 2006, more than half the people of our world live in democratic
nations. And we do not forget the other half -- in places like Syria and Burma,
Zimbabwe, North Korea, and Iran -- because the demands of justice, and the peace
of this world, require their freedom, as well. (Applause.)
No one can deny the success of freedom, but some men rage and fight against
it. And one of the main sources of reaction and opposition is radical Islam --
the perversion by a few of a noble faith into an ideology of terror and death.
Terrorists like bin Laden are serious about mass murder -- and all of us must
take their declared intentions seriously. They seek to impose a heartless system
of totalitarian control throughout the Middle East, and arm themselves with
weapons of mass murder.
Their aim is to seize power in Iraq, and use it as a safe haven to launch
attacks against America and the world. Lacking the military strength to
challenge us directly, the terrorists have chosen the weapon of fear. When they
murder children at a school in Beslan, or blow up commuters in London, or behead
a bound captive, the terrorists hope these horrors will break our will, allowing
the violent to inherit the Earth. But they have miscalculated: We love our
freedom, and we will fight to keep it. (Applause.)
In a time of testing, we cannot find security by abandoning our commitments
and retreating within our borders. If we were to leave these vicious attackers
alone, they would not leave us alone. They would simply move the battlefield to
our own shores. There is no peace in retreat. And there is no honor in retreat.
By allowing radical Islam to work its will -- by leaving an assaulted world to
fend for itself -- we would signal to all that we no longer believe in our own
ideals, or even in our own courage. But our enemies and our friends can be
certain: The United States will not retreat from the world, and we will never
surrender to evil. (Applause.)
America rejects the false comfort of isolationism. We are the nation that
saved liberty in Europe, and liberated death camps, and helped raise up
democracies, and faced down an evil empire. Once again, we accept the call of
history to deliver the oppressed and move this world toward peace. We remain on
the offensive against terror networks. We have killed or captured many of their
leaders -- and for the others, their day will come.
We remain on the offensive in Afghanistan, where a fine President and a
National Assembly are fighting terror while building the institutions of a new
democracy. We're on the offensive in Iraq, with a clear plan for victory. First,
we're helping Iraqis build an inclusive government, so that old resentments will
be eased and the insurgency will be marginalized.
Second, we're continuing reconstruction efforts, and helping the Iraqi
government to fight corruption and build a modern economy, so all Iraqis can
experience the benefits of freedom. And, third, we're striking terrorist targets
while we train Iraqi forces that are increasingly capable of defeating the
enemy. Iraqis are showing their courage every day, and we are proud to be their
allies in the cause of freedom. (Applause.)
Our work in Iraq is difficult because our enemy is brutal. But that brutality
has not stopped the dramatic progress of a new democracy. In less than three
years, the nation has gone from dictatorship to liberation, to sovereignty, to a
constitution, to national elections. At the same time, our coalition has been
relentless in shutting off terrorist infiltration, clearing out insurgent
strongholds, and turning over territory to Iraqi security forces. I am confident
in our plan for victory; I am confident in the will of the Iraqi people; I am
confident in the skill and spirit of our military. Fellow citizens, we are in
this fight to win, and we are winning. (Applause.)
The road of victory is the road that will take our troops home. As we make
progress on the ground, and Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead, we should
be able to further decrease our troop levels -- but those decisions will be made
by our military commanders, not by politicians in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
Our coalition has learned from our experience in Iraq. We've adjusted our
military tactics and changed our approach to reconstruction. Along the way, we
have benefitted from responsible criticism and counsel offered by members of
Congress of both parties. In the coming year, I will continue to reach out and
seek your good advice. Yet, there is a difference between responsible criticism
that aims for success, and defeatism that refuses to acknowledge anything but
failure. (Applause.) Hindsight alone is not wisdom, and second-guessing is not a
strategy. (Applause.)
With so much in the balance, those of us in public office have a duty to
speak with candor. A sudden withdrawal of our forces from Iraq would abandon our
Iraqi allies to death and prison, would put men like bin Laden and Zarqawi in
charge of a strategic country, and show that a pledge from America means little.
Members of Congress, however we feel about the decisions and debates of the
past, our nation has only one option: We must keep our word, defeat our enemies,
and stand behind the American military in this vital mission. (Applause.)
Our men and women in uniform are making sacrifices -- and showing a sense of
duty stronger than all fear. They know what it's like to fight house to house in
a maze of streets, to wear heavy gear in the desert heat, to see a comrade
killed by a roadside bomb. And those who know the costs also know the stakes.
Marine Staff Sergeant Dan Clay was killed last month fighting in Fallujah. He
left behind a letter to his family, but his words could just as well be
addressed to every American. Here is what Dan wrote: "I know what honor is. ...
It has been an honor to protect and serve all of you. I faced death with the
secure knowledge that you would not have to.... Never falter! Don't hesitate to
honor and support those of us who have the honor of protecting that which is
worth protecting."
Staff Sergeant Dan Clay's wife, Lisa, and his mom and dad, Sara Jo and Bud,
are with us this evening. Welcome. (Applause.)
Our nation is grateful to the fallen, who live in the memory of our country.
We're grateful to all who volunteer to wear our nation's uniform -- and as we
honor our brave troops, let us never forget the sacrifices of America's military
families. (Applause.)
Our offensive against terror involves more than military action. Ultimately,
the only way to defeat the terrorists is to defeat their dark vision of hatred
and fear by offering the hopeful alternative of political freedom and peaceful
change. So the United States of America supports democratic reform across the
broader Middle East. Elections are vital, but they are only the beginning.
Raising up a democracy requires the rule of law, and protection of minorities,
and strong, accountable institutions that last longer than a single vote.
The great people of Egypt have voted in a multi-party presidential election
-- and now their government should open paths of peaceful opposition that will
reduce the appeal of radicalism. The Palestinian people have voted in elections.
And now the leaders of Hamas must recognize Israel, disarm, reject terrorism,
and work for lasting peace. (Applause.) Saudi Arabia has taken the first steps
of reform -- now it can offer its people a better future by pressing forward
with those efforts. Democracies in the Middle East will not look like our own,
because they will reflect the traditions of their own citizens. Yet liberty is
the future of every nation in the Middle East, because liberty is the right and
hope of all humanity. (Applause.)
The same is true of Iran, a nation now held hostage by a small clerical elite
that is isolating and repressing its people. The regime in that country sponsors
terrorists in the Palestinian territories and in Lebanon -- and that must come
to an end. (Applause.) The Iranian government is defying the world with its
nuclear ambitions, and the nations of the world must not permit the Iranian
regime to gain nuclear weapons. (Applause.) America will continue to rally the
world to confront these threats.
Tonight, let me speak directly to the citizens of Iran: America respects you,
and we respect your country. We respect your right to choose your own future and
win your own freedom. And our nation hopes one day to be the closest of friends
with a free and democratic Iran. (Applause.)
To overcome dangers in our world, we must also take the offensive by
encouraging economic progress, and fighting disease, and spreading hope in
hopeless lands. Isolationism would not only tie our hands in fighting enemies,
it would keep us from helping our friends in desperate need. We show compassion
abroad because Americans believe in the God-given dignity and worth of a
villager with HIV/AIDS, or an infant with malaria, or a refugee fleeing
genocide, or a young girl sold into slavery. We also show compassion abroad
because regions overwhelmed by poverty, corruption, and despair are sources of
terrorism, and organized crime, and human trafficking, and the drug trade.
In recent years, you and I have taken unprecedented action to fight AIDS and
malaria, expand the education of girls, and reward developing nations that are
moving forward with economic and political reform. For people everywhere, the
United States is a partner for a better life. Short-changing these efforts would
increase the suffering and chaos of our world, undercut our long-term security,
and dull the conscience of our country. I urge members of Congress to serve the
interests of America by showing the compassion of America.
Our country must also remain on the offensive against terrorism here at home.
The enemy has not lost the desire or capability to attack us. Fortunately, this
nation has superb professionals in law enforcement, intelligence, the military,
and homeland security. These men and women are dedicating their lives,
protecting us all, and they deserve our support and our thanks. (Applause.) They
also deserve the same tools they already use to fight drug trafficking and
organized crime -- so I ask you to reauthorize the Patriot Act. (Applause.)
It is said that prior to the attacks of September the 11th, our government
failed to connect the dots of the conspiracy. We now know that two of the
hijackers in the United States placed telephone calls to al Qaeda operatives
overseas. But we did not know about their plans until it was too late. So to
prevent another attack -- based on authority given to me by the Constitution and
by statute -- I have authorized a terrorist surveillance program to aggressively
pursue the international communications of suspected al Qaeda operatives and
affiliates to and from America. Previous Presidents have used the same
constitutional authority I have, and federal courts have approved the use of
that authority. Appropriate members of Congress have been kept informed. The
terrorist surveillance program has helped prevent terrorist attacks. It remains
essential to the security of America. If there are people inside our country who
are talking with al Qaeda, we want to know about it, because we will not sit
back and wait to be hit again. (Applause.)
In all these areas -- from the disruption of terror networks, to victory in
Iraq, to the spread of freedom and hope in troubled regions -- we need the
support of our friends and allies. To draw that support, we must always be clear
in our principles and willing to act. The only alternative to American
leadership is a dramatically more dangerous and anxious world. Yet we also
choose to lead because it is a privilege to serve the values that gave us birth.
American leaders -- from Roosevelt to Truman to Kennedy to Reagan -- rejected
isolation and retreat, because they knew that America is always more secure when
freedom is on the march.
Our own generation is in a long war against a determined enemy -- a war that
will be fought by Presidents of both parties, who will need steady bipartisan
support from the Congress. And tonight I ask for yours. Together, let us protect
our country, support the men and women who defend us, and lead this world toward
freedom. (Applause.)
Here at home, America also has a great opportunity: We will build the
prosperity of our country by strengthening our economic leadership in the world.
Our economy is healthy and vigorous, and growing faster than other major
industrialized nations. In the last two-and-a-half years, America has created
4.6 million new jobs -- more than Japan and the European Union combined.
(Applause.) Even in the face of higher energy prices and natural disasters, the
American people have turned in an economic performance that is the envy of the
world.
The American economy is preeminent, but we cannot afford to be complacent. In
a dynamic world economy, we are seeing new competitors, like China and India,
and this creates uncertainty, which makes it easier to feed people's fears. So
we're seeing some old temptations return. Protectionists want to escape
competition, pretending that we can keep our high standard of living while
walling off our economy. Others say that the government needs to take a larger
role in directing the economy, centralizing more power in Washington and
increasing taxes. We hear claims that immigrants are somehow bad for the economy
-- even though this economy could not function without them. (Applause.) All
these are forms of economic retreat, and they lead in the same direction --
toward a stagnant and second-rate economy.
Tonight I will set out a better path: an agenda for a nation that competes
with confidence; an agenda that will raise standards of living and generate new
jobs. Americans should not fear our economic future, because we intend to shape
it.
Keeping America competitive begins with keeping our economy growing. And our
economy grows when Americans have more of their own money to spend, save, and
invest. In the last five years, the tax relief you passed has left $880 billion
in the hands of American workers, investors, small businesses, and families --
and they have used it to help produce more than four years of uninterrupted
economic growth. (Applause.) Yet the tax relief is set to expire in the next few
years. If we do nothing, American families will face a massive tax increase they
do not expect and will not welcome. Because America needs more than a temporary
expansion, we need more than temporary tax relief. I urge the Congress to act
responsibly, and make the tax cuts permanent. (Applause.)
Keeping America competitive requires us to be good stewards of tax dollars.
Every year of my presidency, we've reduced the growth of non-security
discretionary spending, and last year you passed bills that cut this spending.
This year my budget will cut it again, and reduce or eliminate more than 140
programs that are performing poorly or not fulfilling essential priorities. By
passing these reforms, we will save the American taxpayer another $14 billion
next year, and stay on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009. (Applause.)
I am pleased that members of Congress are working on earmark reform, because
the federal budget has too many special interest projects. (Applause.) And we
can tackle this problem together, if you pass the line-item veto. (Applause.)
We must also confront the larger challenge of mandatory spending, or
entitlements. This year, the first of about 78 million baby boomers turn 60,
including two of my Dad's favorite people -- me and President Clinton.
(Laughter.) This milestone is more than a personal crisis -- (laughter) -- it is
a national challenge. The retirement of the baby boom generation will put
unprecedented strains on the federal government. By 2030, spending for Social
Security, Medicare and Medicaid alone will be almost 60 percent of the entire
federal budget. And that will present future Congresses with impossible choices
-- staggering tax increases, immense deficits, or deep cuts in every category of
spending. Congress did not act last year on my proposal to save Social Security
-- (applause) -- yet the rising cost of entitlements is a problem that is not
going away. (Applause.) And every year we fail to act, the situation gets worse.
So tonight, I ask you to join me in creating a commission to examine the full
impact of baby boom retirements on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. This
commission should include members of Congress of both parties, and offer
bipartisan solutions. We need to put aside partisan politics and work together
and get this problem solved. (Applause.)
Keeping America competitive requires us to open more markets for all that
Americans make and grow. One out of every five factory jobs in America is
related to global trade, and we want people everywhere to buy American. With
open markets and a level playing field, no one can out-produce or out-compete
the American worker. (Applause.)
Keeping America competitive requires an immigration system that upholds our
laws, reflects our values, and serves the interests of our economy. Our nation
needs orderly and secure borders. (Applause.) To meet this goal, we must have
stronger immigration enforcement and border protection. (Applause.) And we must
have a rational, humane guest worker program that rejects amnesty, allows
temporary jobs for people who seek them legally, and reduces smuggling and crime
at the border. (Applause.)
Keeping America competitive requires affordable health care. (Applause.) Our
government has a responsibility to provide health care for the poor and the
elderly, and we are meeting that responsibility. (Applause.) For all Americans
-- for all Americans, we must confront the rising cost of care, strengthen the
doctor-patient relationship, and help people afford the insurance coverage they
need. (Applause.)
We will make wider use of electronic records and other health information
technology, to help control costs and reduce dangerous medical errors. We will
strengthen health savings accounts -- making sure individuals and small business
employees can buy insurance with the same advantages that people working for big
businesses now get. (Applause.) We will do more to make this coverage portable,
so workers can switch jobs without having to worry about losing their health
insurance. (Applause.) And because lawsuits are driving many good doctors out of
practice -- leaving women in nearly 1,500 American counties without a single
OB/GYN -- I ask the Congress to pass medical liability reform this year.
(Applause.)
Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a
serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from
unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through
technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner,
cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources -- and we are on the
threshold of incredible advances.
So tonight, I announce the Advanced Energy Initiative -- a 22-percent
increase in clean-energy research -- at the Department of Energy, to push for
breakthroughs in two vital areas. To change how we power our homes and offices,
we will invest more in zero-emission coal-fired plants, revolutionary solar and
wind technologies, and clean, safe nuclear energy. (Applause.)
We must also change how we power our automobiles. We will increase our
research in better batteries for hybrid and electric cars, and in pollution-free
cars that run on hydrogen. We'll also fund additional research in cutting-edge
methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn, but from wood chips and
stalks, or switch grass. Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical
and competitive within six years. (Applause.)
Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another
great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle
East by 2025. (Applause.) By applying the talent and technology of America, this
country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based
economy, and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past.
(Applause.)
And to keep America competitive, one commitment is necessary above all: We
must continue to lead the world in human talent and creativity. Our greatest
advantage in the world has always been our educated, hardworking, ambitious
people -- and we're going to keep that edge. Tonight I announce an American
Competitiveness Initiative, to encourage innovation throughout our economy, and
to give our nation's children a firm grounding in math and science. (Applause.)
First, I propose to double the federal commitment to the most critical basic
research programs in the physical sciences over the next 10 years. This funding
will support the work of America's most creative minds as they explore promising
areas such as nanotechnology, supercomputing, and alternative energy sources.
Second, I propose to make permanent the research and development tax credit
-- (applause) -- to encourage bolder private-sector initiatives in technology.
With more research in both the public and private sectors, we will improve our
quality of life -- and ensure that America will lead the world in opportunity
and innovation for decades to come. (Applause.)
Third, we need to encourage children to take more math and science, and to
make sure those courses are rigorous enough to compete with other nations. We've
made a good start in the early grades with the No Child Left Behind Act, which
is raising standards and lifting test scores across our country. Tonight I
propose to train 70,000 high school teachers to lead advanced-placement courses
in math and science, bring 30,000 math and science professionals to teach in
classrooms, and give early help to students who struggle with math, so they have
a better chance at good, high-wage jobs. If we ensure that America's children
succeed in life, they will ensure that America succeeds in the world.
(Applause.)
Preparing our nation to compete in the world is a goal that all of us can
share. I urge you to support the American Competitiveness Initiative, and
together we will show the world what the American people can achieve.
America is a great force for freedom and prosperity. Yet our greatness is not
measured in power or luxuries, but by who we are and how we treat one another.
So we strive to be a compassionate, decent, hopeful society.
In recent years, America has become a more hopeful nation. Violent crime
rates have fallen to their lowest levels since the 1970s. Welfare cases have
dropped by more than half over the past decade. Drug use among youth is down 19
percent since 2001. There are fewer abortions in America than at any point in
the last three decades, and the number of children born to teenage mothers has
been falling for a dozen years in a row. (Applause.)
These gains are evidence of a quiet transformation -- a revolution of
conscience, in which a rising generation is finding that a life of personal
responsibility is a life of fulfillment. Government has played a role. Wise
policies, such as welfare reform and drug education and support for abstinence
and adoption have made a difference in the character of our country. And
everyone here tonight, Democrat and Republican, has a right to be proud of this
record. (Applause.)
Yet many Americans, especially parents, still have deep concerns about the
direction of our culture, and the health of our most basic institutions. They're
concerned about unethical conduct by public officials, and discouraged by
activist courts that try to redefine marriage. They worry about children in our
society who need direction and love, and about fellow citizens still displaced
by natural disaster, and about suffering caused by treatable diseases.
As we look at these challenges, we must never give in to the belief that
America is in decline, or that our culture is doomed to unravel. The American
people know better than that. We have proven the pessimists wrong before -- and
we will do it again. (Applause.)
A hopeful society depends on courts that deliver equal justice under the law.
The Supreme Court now has two superb new members -- new members on its bench:
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Sam Alito. (Applause.) I thank the Senate
for confirming both of them. I will continue to nominate men and women who
understand that judges must be servants of the law, and not legislate from the
bench. (Applause.)
Today marks the official retirement of a very special American. For 24 years
of faithful service to our nation, the United States is grateful to Justice
Sandra Day O'Connor. (Applause.)
A hopeful society has institutions of science and medicine that do not cut
ethical corners, and that recognize the matchless value of every life. Tonight I
ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious abuses of medical
research: human cloning in all its forms, creating or implanting embryos for
experiments, creating human-animal hybrids, and buying, selling, or patenting
human embryos. Human life is a gift from our Creator -- and that gift should
never be discarded, devalued or put up for sale. (Applause.)
A hopeful society expects elected officials to uphold the public trust.
(Applause.) Honorable people in both parties are working on reforms to
strengthen the ethical standards of Washington -- I support your efforts. Each
of us has made a pledge to be worthy of public responsibility -- and that is a
pledge we must never forget, never dismiss, and never betray. (Applause.)
As we renew the promise of our institutions, let us also show the character
of America in our compassion and care for one another.
A hopeful society gives special attention to children who lack direction and
love. Through the Helping America's Youth Initiative, we are encouraging caring
adults to get involved in the life of a child -- and this good work is being led
by our First Lady, Laura Bush. (Applause.) This year we will add resources to
encourage young people to stay in school, so more of America's youth can raise
their sights and achieve their dreams.
A hopeful society comes to the aid of fellow citizens in times of suffering
and emergency -- and stays at it until they're back on their feet. So far the
federal government has committed $85 billion to the people of the Gulf Coast and
New Orleans. We're removing debris and repairing highways and rebuilding
stronger levees. We're providing business loans and housing assistance. Yet as
we meet these immediate needs, we must also address deeper challenges that
existed before the storm arrived.
In New Orleans and in other places, many of our fellow citizens have felt
excluded from the promise of our country. The answer is not only temporary
relief, but schools that teach every child, and job skills that bring upward
mobility, and more opportunities to own a home and start a business. As we
recover from a disaster, let us also work for the day when all Americans are
protected by justice, equal in hope, and rich in opportunity. (Applause.)
A hopeful society acts boldly to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS, which can be
prevented, and treated, and defeated. More than a million Americans live with
HIV, and half of all AIDS cases occur among African Americans. I ask Congress to
reform and reauthorize the Ryan White Act, and provide new funding to states, so
we end the waiting lists for AIDS medicines in America. (Applause.) We will also
lead a nationwide effort, working closely with African American churches and
faith-based groups, to deliver rapid HIV tests to millions, end the stigma of
AIDS, and come closer to the day when there are no new infections in America.
(Applause.)
Fellow citizens, we've been called to leadership in a period of consequence.
We've entered a great ideological conflict we did nothing to invite. We see
great changes in science and commerce that will influence all our lives.
Sometimes it can seem that history is turning in a wide arc, toward an unknown
shore. Yet the destination of history is determined by human action, and every
great movement of history comes to a point of choosing.
Lincoln could have accepted peace at the cost of disunity and continued
slavery. Martin Luther King could have stopped at Birmingham or at Selma, and
achieved only half a victory over segregation. The United States could have
accepted the permanent division of Europe, and been complicit in the oppression
of others. Today, having come far in our own historical journey, we must decide:
Will we turn back, or finish well?
Before history is written down in books, it is written in courage. Like
Americans before us, we will show that courage and we will finish well. We will
lead freedom's advance. We will compete and excel in the global economy. We will
renew the defining moral commitments of this land. And so we move forward --
optimistic about our country, faithful to its cause, and confident of the
victories to come.
May God bless America. (Applause.)
END 10:03 P.M. EST