Let us reach for the world that ought to be — that spark of the divine that still stirs within each of our souls.
BARACK OBAMA, Nobel Lecture, Dec. 10, 2009
“I will use this spark to set fire to this country and leave it in ashes. Some men… just want to watch the world burn.”
We are a nation of laws whose commitment to justice is so enduring that we would treat a gunman and give him due process, just as surely as we will see that he pays for his crimes.
BARACK OBAMA, remarks at memorial service at Fort Hood, Nov. 10, 2009
“Fortunately, we have Eric Holder to keep that latter tragedy from happening.”
Tonight, somewhere in America, a young person, let’s say a young man, will struggle to fall to sleep, wrestling alone with a secret he’s held as long as he can remember. Soon, perhaps, he will decide it’s time to let that secret out. What happens next depends on him, his family, as well as his friends and his teachers and his community. But it also depends on us — on the kind of society we engender, the kind of future we build.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Oct. 10, 2009
“And if society changes to be supportive enough… someday you’ll see my college transcripts.”
I believe in a two-party system where ideas are tested and assumptions are challenged — because that’s how we can move this country forward. But what I reject is when some folks decide to sit on the sidelines and root for failure on health care or on energy or on our economy. What I reject is when some folks say we should go back to the past policies when it was those very same policies that got us into this mess in the first place.
BARACK OBAMA, speech at DNC fundraising reception, Oct. 15, 2009
“We should be going forward to new policies that can get us into an even BIGGER mess.”
None of us wants to be defined by just one part of what makes us whole.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Oct. 10, 2009
“That’s why I complain about righties being bitter AND clingy.”
When, you know, I’m busy and Nancy [Pelosi] is busy with our mop, cleaning up somebody else’s mess — we don’t want somebody sitting back saying, you’re not holding the mop the right way. (Applause.) Why don’t you grab a mop, why don’t you help clean up. (Applause.) You’re not mopping fast enough. (Laughter.) That’s a socialist mop. (Laughter and applause.) Grab a mop — let’s get to work.
BARACK OBAMA, speech at DNC fundraising reception, Oct. 15, 2009
“Don’t laugh. I wasn’t kidding about that socialist mop thing.”
These issues go to the heart of who we are as a people. Are we a nation that can transcend old attitudes and worn divides? Can we embrace our differences and look to the hopes and dreams that we share? Will we uphold the ideals on which this nation was founded: that all of us are equal, that all of us deserve the same opportunity to live our lives freely and pursue our chance at happiness? I believe we can; I believe we will.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Oct. 10, 2009
“And, as usual, I believe it require a trillion-dollar government program to make it happen.”
It is no secret that issues of great concern to gays and lesbians are ones that raise a great deal of emotion in this country. And it’s no secret that progress has been incredibly difficult — we can see that with the time and dedication it took to pass hate crimes legislation.
“And, at last, our nation is finally safe from the horror of old men who make duck calls.”
Also, a Christmas carol for Obama [High Praise! to The People’s Cube]:
[YouTube direct link] (Viewer #369,079)
Although we may come from vastly different stories and very different walks of life, we are one people who possess common values and common ideals; who celebrate individual excellence but also share a recognition that together, we can accomplish great and wonderful things we can’t accomplish alone.
BARACK OBAMA, remarks on the South Lawn, Sep. 16, 2009
“And what he have in common is that we both want your money – Yay! Togetherness!”
It’s important to realize that I was actually black before the election.
BARACK OBAMA, Late Night With David Letterman, Sep. 21, 2009
“Also a dog-eating socialist, but that’s NOT important.”
I’ve called Chicago home for nearly 25 years. It’s a city of broad shoulders and big hearts and bold dreams; a city of legendary sports figures, legendary sports venues, and legendary sports fans; a city like America itself, where the world — the world’s races and religions and nationalities come together and reach for the dream that brought them here.
BARACK OBAMA, remarks on the South Lawn, Sep. 16, 2009
“A dream of raw, naked, political power unfettered by laws or conscience.”
Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and that then allows you to learn something new.
BARACK OBAMA, National Address to America’s Schoolchildren, Sep. 8, 2009
“But telling me to ask for help is a racist undermining of the office of the President.”
You’ve heard the stories: the indefensible no-bid contracts that cost taxpayers billions and make contractors rich; the special interests and their exotic projects that are years behind schedule and billions over budget; the entrenched lobbyists pushing weapons that even our military says it doesn’t want. The impulse in Washington to protect jobs back home building things we don’t need has a cost that we can’t afford.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Aug. 17, 2009
“But enough about me. Let’s talk about those evil Republicans!”
We cannot build the 21st-century military we need, and maintain the fiscal responsibility that America demands, unless we fundamentally reform the way our defense establishment does business. It’s a simple fact. Every dollar wasted in our defense budget is a dollar we can’t spend to care for our troops or protect America or prepare for the future.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Aug. 17, 2009
“And I think EVERY dollar in our defense budget is wasted. Let me be clear: surrendering is a LOT cheaper.”
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
BARACK OBAMA, National Address to America’s Schoolchildren, Sep. 8, 2009
“Unless you get in my way. Then you have no future.”
