Ultimately, the challenges of the 21st century can’t be met without collective action. Agreement will almost never be easy, and results won’t always come quickly. But I am committed to respecting different points of view, and to forging a consensus instead of dictating our terms.
BARACK OBAMA, press conference, Apr. 2, 2009
“But in a pinch, dictating will do fine. And I gotta tell ya, I’m feeling pretty pinchy.”
At times, American foreign policy has been farsighted, simultaneously serving our national interests, our ideals, and the interests of other nations. At other times American policies have been misguided, based on false assumptions that ignore the legitimate aspirations of other peoples, undermine our own credibility, and make for a more dangerous world.
BARACK OBAMA, The Audacity of Hope
“Gotta say – BIG fan of the latter.”
The consequences of war are dire, the sacrifices immeasurable. We may have occasion in our lifetime to once again rise up in defense of our freedom, and pay the wages of war. But we ought not — we will not — travel down that hellish path blindly.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Oct. 2, 2002
“…until I’m President.”
I’ve often said that I don’t believe government has the answer to every problem or that it can do all things for all people. We are a nation built on the strength of individual initiative. But there are certain things that we can’t do on our own. There are certain things only a government can do.
BARACK OBAMA, weekly address, Mar. 14, 2009
“And I’m gonna make sure the government does them to you until you beg for mercy.”
The countries who out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow.
BARACK OBAMA, press conference, Mar. 17, 2009
“That’s why it’s imperative that we help those countries by dumbing-down our schools immediately.”
The very interconnectivity that increasingly binds the world together has empowered those who would tear that world down. Terrorist networks can spread their doctrines in the blink of an eye; they can probe the world economic system’s weakest links, knowing that an attack in London or Tokyo will reverberate in New York or Hong Kong; weapons and technology that were once the exclusive province of nation-states can now be purchased on the black market, or their designs downloaded off the Internet; the free travel of people and goods across borders, the lifeblood of the global economy, can be exploited for murderous ends.
BARACK OBAMA, The Audacity of Hope
“Or so I assume, since that’s how *I* operate.”
You know, it’s hard for 20 heads of state to bridge their differences. We’ve all got our own national policies; we all have our own assumptions, our own political cultures. But our citizens are all hurting. They all need us to come together.
BARACK OBAMA, press conference, Apr. 2, 2009
“…and hurt them even more until that stop all that whining! GAH! That is SO irritating!”
The only way to fully restore America’s economic strength is to make the long-term investments that will lead to new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete with the rest of the world. The only way this century will be another American century is if we confront at last the price of our dependence on oil and the high cost of health care; the schools that aren’t preparing our children and the mountain of debt they stand to inherit.
BARACK OBAMA, Address to Joint Session of Congress, Feb. 24, 2009
“So I’m making all these problems bigger because I want that confrontation to be EPIC!”
What I’ve tried to do since I started running for President and since I was sworn in as President, is to communicate the notion that America is a critical actor and leader on the world stage, and that we shouldn’t be embarrassed about that, but that we exercise our leadership best when we are listening; when we recognize that the world is a complicated place and that we are going to have to act in partnership with other countries; when we lead by example; when we show some element of humility and recognize that we may not always have the best answer, but we can always encourage the best answer and support the best answer.
BARACK OBAMA, press conference, Apr. 2, 2009
“And that best answer is ALWAYS whatever the dingiest, most backward third-world countries demand that we do for them.”
I’m confident that at this defining moment, we will prove ourselves worthy of the sacrifice of those who came before us, and the promise of those who will come after.
BARACK OBAMA, weekly address, Mar. 7, 2009
“Meanwhile, I’ll be the one collecting your sacrifices, so pony up, peons.”
In a world that’s more and more interconnected, we all have responsibilities to work together to solve common challenges.
BARACK OBAMA, press conference, Apr. 2, 2009
“That’s why I’m hard at work creating challenges for people. Can’t solve a problem together if there’s no problem to solve.”
I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars.
BARACK OBAMA, speech, Oct. 2, 2002
“You know… like the ones where America’s actual vital national interests are at stake.”
It is time to put in place tough, new common-sense rules of the road so that our financial market rewards drive and innovation, and punishes short-cuts and abuse.
BARACK OBAMA, Address to Joint Session of Congress, Feb. 24, 2009
“To be followed by having the Fed print infinite quantities of money and knocking the whole thing into a cocked hat.”
What Americans expect from Washington is action that matches the urgency they feel in their daily lives.
BARACK OBAMA, Washington Post, Feb. 5, 2009
“You’d be surprised how urgently people want their liberties removed.”
The answers to our problems don’t lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth. Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure.
BARACK OBAMA, Address to Joint Session of Congress, Feb. 24, 2009
“Fortunately, we’ve got the federal government to hold these people back from accomplishing anything.”
