My fellow citizens: I stand here todayhumbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed,mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush forhis service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he hasshown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americanshave now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during risingtides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oathis taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, Americahas carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in highoffice, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of ourforebearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So itmust be with this generation of Americans. That we are in themidst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against afar-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, aconsequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also ourcollective 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 toocostly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence thatthe ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are theindicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but noless profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear thatAmerica'sdecline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious andthey are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But knowthis, America:They will be met. On this day, wegather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflictand discord. On this day, we cometo proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, therecriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled ourpolitics. We remain a youngnation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childishthings. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our betterhistory; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on fromgeneration to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all arefree, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. In reaffirming thegreatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It mustbe earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. Ithas not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure overwork, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been therisk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more oftenmen and women oBScure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, ruggedpath toward prosperity and freedom. For us, they packedup their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a newlife. For us, they toiledin sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed thehard earth. For us, they foughtand died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandyand Khe Sahn. Time and again, thesemen and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw sothat we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum ofour individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealthor faction. This is the journeywe continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Ourworkers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are noless inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last weekor last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time ofstanding pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasantdecisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pickourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. For everywhere welook, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, boldand swift, and we will act -- not only to create new joBS, but to lay a newfoundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric gridsand digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restorescience to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise healthcare's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds andthe soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform ourschools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. Allthis we can do. And all this we will do. Now, there are somewho question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannottolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgottenwhat this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve whenimagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. What the cynics failto understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stalepolitical arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. Thequestion 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 thoseof us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spendwisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day -- becauseonly then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. Nor is the questionbefore us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generatewealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us thatwithout a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control -- and that a nationcannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of oureconomy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product,but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity toevery willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest routeto our common good. As for our commondefense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. OurFounding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charterto assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by theblood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not givethem up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments whoare watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where myfather was born: Know that Americais a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future ofpeace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. Recall that earliergenerations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks,but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that ourpower 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 securityemanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, thetempering qualities of humility and restraint. We are the keepers ofthis legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those newthreats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation andunderstanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earnedpeace in Afghanistan.With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclearthreat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologizefor our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seekto advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say toyou now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlastus, and we will defeat you. For we know that ourpatchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christiansand Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers. We are shaped by everylanguage and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we havetasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from thatdark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the oldhatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; thatas the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and thatAmerica 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. Tothose leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame theirsociety's ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what youcan build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruptionand deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side ofhistory; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench yourfist. To the people of poor nations, we pledge towork alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; tonourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like oursthat enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to sufferingoutside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard toeffect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humblegratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off desertsand distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallenheroes who lie in Arlingtonwhisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians ofour liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness tofind meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- amoment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that mustinhabit us all. For as much asgovernment can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination ofthe American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to takein a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who wouldrather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us throughour darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filledwith smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finallydecides our fate. Our challenges may benew. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values uponwhich our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play,tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. Thesethings are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout ourhistory. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required ofus now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of everyAmerican, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; dutiesthat we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledgethat there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of ourcharacter, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price andthe promise of citizenship. This is the source ofour confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertaindestiny. This is the meaningof our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every raceand every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why aman whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a localrestaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. So let us mark thisday with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the yearof America'sbirth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dyingcampfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemywas advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome ofour revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these wordsbe read to the people: "Let it be toldto the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope andvirtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one commondanger, came forth to meet [it]." America. In the face of our common dangers, in thiswinter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope andvirtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms maycome. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, werefused 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 forththat great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
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