Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have
been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.
Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging
storms.
At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or
vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained
faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding
documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at
war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is
badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of
some, but also our collective 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
too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence
that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our
planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less
measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land
-- a nagging fear that America's decline 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
and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.
But know this, America: They will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of
purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false
promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have
strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come
to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring
spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift,
that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation:
the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a
chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is
never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts
or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for
those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and
fame.
Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some
celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have
carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.