I would have been happy to hear this….

I would regard — I would regard my election as proof that we have renewed our resolve to preserve world peace and freedom — that this nation will once again be strong enough to do that.

Now this evening — this evening marks the last step, save one, of a campaign that has taken us from one end of this great nation to the other, over many months and thousands and thousands of miles. There are those who question the way we choose a President, who say that our process imposes difficult and exhausting burdens on those who seek the office. I have not found it so.

It is — It is — It’s impossible to capture in words the splendor of this vast continent which God has granted as our portion of His creation. There are no words to express the extraordinary strength and character of this breed of people we call American.

Everywhere — Everywhere, we’ve met thousands of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans from all economic conditions, all walks of life, bound together in that community of shared values of family, work, neighborhood, peace, and freedom. They’re concerned, yes. They’re not frightened. They’re disturbed, but not dismayed. They are the kind of men and women Tom Paine had in mind when he wrote, during the darkest days of the American Revolution, “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.”

Nearly — Nearly 150 years after Tom Paine wrote those words, an American President told the generation of the Great Depression that it had a “rendezvous with destiny.” I believe this generation of Americans today also has a rendezvous with destiny.

Tonight — Tonight, let us dedicate ourselves to renewing the American compact. I ask you not simply to “trust me,” but to trust your values — our values — and to hold me responsible for living up to them. I ask you to trust that American spirit which knows no ethnic, religious, social, political, regional, or economic boundaries; the spirit that burned with zeal in the hearts of millions of immigrants from every corner of the earth who came here in search of freedom.

Some say that spirit no longer exists. But I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it — all across this land; in the big cities, the small towns and in rural America. It’s still there ready to blaze into life if you and I are willing to do what has to be done

We — we have to do the practical things, the down-to-earth things such as creating policies that will stimulate our economy, increase productivity, and put America back to work. The time is now to limit federal spending, to insist on a stable monetary reform and to free ourselves from imported oil.

The time — The time is now to resolve that the basis of a firm and principled foreign policy is one that takes the world as it is and seeks to change it by leadership and example; not by harangue, harassment, or wishful thinking.

The time now — is now — The time is now to say that we shall seek new friendships and expand others and improve others, that we shall not do so by breaking our word or casting aside old friends and allies.

The time — The time is now, my fellow Americans, to recapture our destiny, to take it into our own hands. And to do this will take away many of us — or will take many of us working together. I ask you tonight all over this land to volunteer your help in this cause so that we can carry our message throughout the land.

Isn’t it time that we, the people, carry out those un-kept promises? That we pledge to each other and to all America on this July day that now we intend to do just that.

I — I have — I have thought of something that’s not a part of my speech and worried over whether I should do it. Can we doubt that only a Divine Providence placed this land, this island of freedom, here as a refuge for all those people in the world who yearn to breathe free? Jews and Christians enduring persecution behind the Iron Curtain; the boat people of Southeast Asia, of Cuba, and of Haiti; the victims of drought and famine in Africa; the freedom fighters in Afghanistan; and our own countrymen held in savage captivity.

I’ll confess that I’ve been a little afraid to suggest what I’m going to suggest.

I’m more afraid not to.

Can we begin our crusade joined together in a moment of silent prayer?

God bless America.

Thank you.

Exit question: Year? (still relevant today)

Dr.Cwac.Cwac on October 13, 2008 at 3:47 PM