Barack Obama 44th president 
"It 's time of responsibility"
20 January 2009, at 12: Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th president of the United States. The historic day in America and the world, from the oath to the dances of the night. The president's speech, the first lady's charm, the huge crowd that invades Washington, festivals in all continents.
THE ADDRESS:
"Today I stand before you humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices made by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, and for the generosity and cooperation he has shown during this transition.
Forty-four Americans have taken the presidential oath. These words are spoken during high tide of prosperity and calm waters of peace. But often the oath is in the midst of storm clouds and storms. At such times, America has been going on not only due to skill or vision of those who held the high office, but thanks to the fact that We the People, have remained faithful to the ideals of our ancestors and our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be for this generation of Americans.
E 'now well understood that we are in the midst of a crisis. Our nation is at war against a network of violence and hatred that comes out. Our economy is badly weakened, the result of greed and irresponsibility of some, but also our collective inability to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new era. Some have lost their homes. Jobs have been erased. Businesses shuttered. Our health care is too expensive. Our schools fail too many. And every day brings new evidence of that the way we use energy strengthens our enemies and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of the crisis, subject to statistical analysis and data. Less measurable but equally profound is the loss of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that the American decline is inevitable, and the next generation must lower.
Today I say that the challenges we face are real. Are serious and they are numerous. They will not be easy nor quick. But know this, America will be met.
Today we are gathered here because we choose hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
Today we are here to proclaim an end to petty grievances and false promises, the dogmas, that for too long have strangled our policy.
We're still a young nation, but - as the Scriptures say - it's time to put away childish things. It 's time to reaffirm our enduring spirit to choose our better history, to pursue that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the divine promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue happiness in all its fullness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we realize that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts, we never satisfied. It has never been an uncertain path, for those who prefer leisure to work, or seek only the pleasures of the rich and famous.
were instead those who were able to be daring, which have acted, the people that created things - some celebrated, but more often men and women in their obscure work that led up the long, bumpy road to prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and crossed oceans in search of a new life.
For us, have toiled in sweatshops and they settled the West. They endured the lash and plowed the ground hard.
For us, they fought and died in places like Concord and Gettysburg, Normandy and Khe Sahn.
These men and women have struggled and sacrificed and worked until their hands are raw so that we might live a better life. They saw something greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, the largest of all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey that continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less necessary than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains unchanged. But it is certainly past the time of standing, the protection of narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions. Starting today, we have to get up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to do. The state of the economy calls for action, strong and quick, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.
build roads and bridges, power grids and digital lines that feed our businesses and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield the wonders of technology to raise the quality of health care and lower costs.
harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.
It will transform our schools, colleges and universities to meet the needs of new times. We can do it. And we will.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - thinking that our system can not tolerate too many big projects. Their memories are short. Why forgotten what this country has already done. What men and women can achieve when the imagination is combined with the common purpose, and the need for courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted under their feet. Stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works or not - if you help families find a job at a decent wage, affordable health care, a pension worth. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where it is not, put an end to those policies. And those who manage the public's dollars will be held accountable, so spend it wisely, reform bad habits, and do their business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between the people and their government.
The question before us is not whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom remains intact. But the crisis reminds us that without a watchful eye, the market may go out of control and the nation can not prosper for long when the market favors only the rich. The success of our economy has always depended not only on the size of our GDP, but the reach of our prosperity, our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity but because it is the surest path to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false choice between security and ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with dangers that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter that guarantees the rule of law and individual rights, a card that has expanded with the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so, for all peoples and governments who are watching today, the biggest capitals in the small village where was born my father know that America is a friend of every nation and every man, woman and child who is looking for a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead the way once again.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism, not only with missiles and tanks, but with strong alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone can not protect us or authorize us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows more you use it with caution. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the custodians of this legacy. Guided by these principles once again, we face new threats that will require even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding among nations. Begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former enemies, we will work tirelessly to reduce the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our lifestyle, we will not hesitate to fight in his defense. And to those who seek to achieve their goals by creating terror and killing innocent people, we say now that our spirit is stronger and can not be broken. You will not outlast us, and we will defeat you.
Because we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every corner of this Earth, and because we have tasted the bitter taste of Civil War and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we can not help but believe that the old hatreds pass sooner or later, the tribal lines will soon be dissolved, that if the world grows smaller, our common humanity will reveal itself, and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
For the Muslim world, we seek a new way, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the world who seek to foment conflict, or blame their ills on the West companies - know that your people will judge you on what you 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 will extend a hand if you are ready to open your fist.
the people of poor nations, we pledge to work together to make your flower and campaigns to clean your water courses, to feed hungry minds and bodies. And to those nations, like ours. that enjoy relative wealth, we say that we can no longer tolerate the indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we continue to consume resources without considering the impact of the world. Because the world has changed and we must change with it.
consider the road that lies ahead of us, we remember with gratitude those humble brave Americans, in these hours, control remote deserts and 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 desire to find meaning in something greater than themselves. In this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that we all must inhabit.
To the extent that government can and must do, is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people that this nation is founded. E 'kindness in a stranger when the levees break, the generosity of workers who would rather cut their hours of work rather than seeing a friend lose their job, that have guided us in our darkest hours. And 'the courage of the fighters fire storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also the will of a parent to nurture a child, which ultimately decides our fate.
Our challenges are new. The instruments with which we meet may be new. But the values \u200b\u200bupon which our success - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - all this is old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force for progress throughout our history. What is needed now is a return to these truths. What is required of us is a new era of responsibility - the recognition by every American, that we owe it to ourselves, our nation, the world, that we must grudgingly accept responsibilities but to embrace with joy, without being aware that there is nothing more satisfying to the spirit, so to define the character, giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our trust - knowing that God has called us to shape an uncertain fate.
This is the meaning of our freedom and our creed - for men, women and children of every race and every faith can join the feast in this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father is not less than sixty years ago would not have been served at a restaurant can now stand before you to say the most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day of remembrance of who we are and how far we've come. In the year that America was founded, in the coldest months, a small band of patriots huddled around the dying campfire on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a time when the outcome of our revolution was in doubt, the father of our nation ordered that these words be read to the people
"Let it be told to the future of the world ... that in the depth of winter , can survive when nothing but hope and virtue ... That the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet. "
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let with courage the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let the children of our children say that when we were put to the test we have not made this journey end, we have not turned their backs and we're not dead. and with eyes fixed on the horizon and the grace of God upon us, we brought forward the great gift of freedom and we delivered intact to future generations. "
