Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The Speech




My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.

I thank President Bush for his service to our nation as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

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 forbearers, 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, 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 faint-hearted, 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 towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died in places Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed.

Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.

The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.

We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.

We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its costs.

We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.

All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply.

The question 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 those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched.

But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.

The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.

Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.

Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.

And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.

They understood that our power 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 security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We'll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan.

With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet.

We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense.

And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."

For 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 end of this Earth.

And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America 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.

To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can 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 we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.

And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant 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 guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.

And yet, at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.

It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.

It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old.

These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.

What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled.

In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river.

The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood.

At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused 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 forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you.

And God bless the United States of America.

In The News

Obama pledges 'era of openness'
BBC News telephoned four Middle Eastern leaders - President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel, King Abdullah of Jordan and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. .... Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary and Steven Chu as energy secretary.
Geithner urges bailout reforms, apologizes on taxes
Reuters
Obama Orders Halt to Prosecutions at Guantánamo
New York Times
Obama takes on daunting crises on Day One
AFP Obama made his first foreign leader call as US commander-in-chief to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas ..... The Obamas sat in a high-powered front pew alongside Vice President Joseph Biden and his wife Jill and former president Bill Clinton and soon-to-be secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Barack Obama: New US president wastes no time on first full day guardian.co.uk
Gov. Jindal addresses chamber
Slidell Sentry News Applause broke out several times during Jindal’s address, most notably when he announced his intention to continue pursuing the adoption of the toughest child predator laws in the nation. ....... “It’s easy to say this mess was created by Wall Street bankers, Washington lawmakers being asleep at the wheel or the big national banks,” he said. “While those things may all be partly to blame, the number one reason is our addiction to debt.”
Barack Obama: New US president wastes no time on first full day
guardian.co.uk
EU welcomes Obama decision to suspend Guantanamo trials Hindustan Times
I-10 Jindal’s priority 2TheAdvocate The work will add one new lane in each direction and cost $86 million. ...... The state has submitted a $1.3 billion roads wish list for any federal stimulus package ..... widen I-12 from South Range Avenue to Walker. It would cost $120 million.
After a Day of Crowds and Celebration, Obama Turns to Sobering ... New York Times Tuesday saw him in the public eye for more than 15 hours, from a prayer service at St. John’s Church near the White House early in the morning to the inauguration and subsequent parade in blisteringly cold weather, and then his attendance at all 10 official inaugural balls. ...... the president vowed “his commitment to active engagement in pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his term
India admits failed cruise missile test AFP
Obama Plunges into Middle East Affairs, Economy Washington Post expand releases of documents under the Freedom of Information Act and find new ways to tap into the knowledge and experience of ordinary Americans ....... "If our policy response is tentative and incrementalist . . . then we risk greater damage to living standards, to the economy's productive potential, and to the fabric of our financial system"
China Censors Part of Obama Speech New York Times China Central Television, or CCTV, the main state-run network, broadcast the speech live until the moment President Obama mentioned “communism” in a line about the defeat of ideologies considered anathema to Americans. After the off-screen translator said “communism” in Chinese, the audio faded out even as Mr. Obama’s lips continued to move. ....... “Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.”
Transcript: Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address
Michelle Obama wears it well Boston Globe
The Obama Effect: Google Says President Changed Search Activity Search Engine Land
The perils of plunging oil prices
MarketWatch
Stocks re-ignite their rally CNNMoney.com
IBM Beats Street, Lifting Stocks Forbes
Dell: Can It Still Grow?
Barron's Blogs“Dell’s manufacturing and logistics advantages have largely been eliminated" ....... we see little that will separate it from competitors in new markets ....... the increased adoption of mobile Internet devices - netbooks - poses a serious threat to Dell. “These devices are simple and inexpensive to make by their nature, which could further commoditize the PC market and threaten Dell’s future profit growth ...... the company is “structurally challenged.”
Bill Gates, others pledge $630 million to beat polio Reuters
The Day Live Web Video Streaming Failed Us Washington Post
Like never before, inauguration experienced online The Associated Press
Inauguration Is Biggest Test for Online Video ABC News
Warming in Antarctica Now Looks Certain
New York Times





Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Da Speech








In The News

Obama sets fresh course for 'remaking America' Los Angeles Times
Obama becomes first black US president Reuters
Obamas Head to White House for Coffee After Church Service
FOXNews
Bush leaves White House for last time The Associated Press
Barack Obama’s protocol-rich ride to the Capitol Christian Science Monitor
Senator Threatens to Block Clinton's Confirmation as US Secretary ... Voice of America
The rise of Bihar Business Standard
US Airways sends $5000 to passengers in crash-landing CNN
Russia restarts gas, Europe sighs with relief The Associated Press
Obama's Time Has Come CBS News
Colin Powell: ‘More to do,’ MLK would tell Obama MSNBC
Obama 'is no Martin Luther King' Aljazeera.net
Obama at US Capitol Ahead of Inauguration Voice of America
Obama Faces Historically High Expectations U.S. News & World Report
Gov. Bobby Jindal watches inauguration on TV The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com
Texas senator blocks Clinton's state confirmation The Associated Press
No Confirmation Vote for Clinton New York Times
Paterson nears naming Clinton replacement
Newsday
With Clinton, Obama loses a rival, gains a valuable loyalist Boston Globe
Michelle Obama shines in Isabel Toledo The Associated Press
Aretha Franklin warms up for inauguration The Associated Press
Mobile Penetration Facilitates Economic Growth: ICRIER Report EFYTimes
India warned to boost internet access - study Telecompaper
Teledensity determines states' growth rates: Icrier
Business Standard
Meeting of Arab leaders on Gaza ends in discord The Associated Pres
Embatted Pastor Warren Sets Inclusive Tone ABC News
Joe Biden sworn in as 47th vice president The Associated Press
Poet offers 'praise song' for inauguration day The Associated Press
5 Reasons to Worry About Google Motley Fool
The Plot to Kill Google Wired News
Coupons Clips Google Engineering Director Wall Street Journal
'Slumdog...' is a tribute to Mumbai: Danny Boyle
Indian Express
Bank crisis drags on stocks CNNMoney.com
Qualcomm grabs AMD handheld, graphics tech CNET News
AMD Sheds Handheld Unit As Concerns Loom On Larger Strategy
CNNMoney.com
Cisco Systems to launch server: all-out war with Hewlett-Packard ... Product Reviews
U2’s New Single “Get On Your Boots” Hits iTunes Early Rolling Stone
Spectators crowd the Mall and wireless networks CNET News
Can you hear me now? Maybe ... during inauguration The Associated Press
Wireless networks crushed with traffic MSNBC
Obama sets fresh course for 'remaking America'
Los Angeles Times
Obama Pledges to Restore US Prosperity, Global Prominence FOXNews
Obama to discuss Iraq troop drawdown on Wednesday
Reuters
Obama Is Sworn In as the 44th President New York Times, United States
How Barack Obama Got To The White House CBS News
Obama Team Makes Early Efforts to Show Willingness to Reach Out to ...
New York Times, United States
Bill Clinton sees less divisive politics under Obama Reuters Bill Clinton said on Monday that American politics over the next 30 years will be marked by a practical, inclusive approach rather than the partisan battles that defined the last 40 years. ..... Democrats' continued dominance is not assured if Republicans take a more inclusive approach, he said.
In Bipartisan Appeal, Obama Praises McCain New York Times, United States
Obama spends day volunteering, night honoring McCain, Powell, Biden Dallas Morning News
McCain says wishes he were taking oath, promises Obama support Reuters
61% in Poll Back Rick Warren as Invocation Pick
Washington Post, United States

Obama plans ambitious first week, aides say CNN a Wednesday meeting with military brass to map out a change to the mission in Iraq ..... issuance of executive orders on .... the detainment of terror suspects....... the Mideast crisis has shot to the top of the immediate agenda. The aides said Obama has been pushing behind the scenes for quick, decisive action, overriding the advice of some aides who believe getting active instantly may raise unrealistic expectations for Mideast peace. ........ mulling several high-profile executive orders that can change U.S. policy with the simple stroke of a pen, particularly major changes to the approach in the war on terror. ...... executive order that would specifically ban the use of torture on terror suspects. ....... communicate directly with the American people that the financial crisis is likely to continue for a long time -- even if his economic recovery plan is passed into law during the first 100 days. .... "We're going to have a tough year, 2009," Obama told CNN in an interview Friday.
New Rampant Windows Worm Seizes 8 Million Business PCs in a Week DailyTech
A conservative hope: Bobby Jindal
Signal Jindal, the son of Punjabi immigrants from India, was born in Baton Rouge in 1971. Legend has it that little Piyush was watching "The Brady Bunch," and was so taken by Bobby Brady that he decided to take the name for his own. ..... Bobby attended Brown University and eventually received a master's degree from New College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar. ....... This guy really understands reforming health care...... a conservative with common sense can win in a heavily Democratic region (shades of California's future?)....... At 36, he is also the youngest current governor in the United States. ..... the first Indian-American in the United States to hold a statewide office....... He consistently supports a pro-life agenda, opposes same-sex marriage and voted to make the Patriot Act permanent. ....... Jindal sponsored the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act (H.R. 4761), a bill to eliminate a moratorium on drilling on the U.S. Continental Shelf, which prompted an environmental watchdog group to issue him an "environmental harm demerit." ..... Bobby Jindal represents a new, young and exciting conservative face for the Republican Party. ....... Treasury Secretary nominee Timothy Geithner's "forgetting" to pay $34,000 in taxes
Obama Inauguration Expected To Break All Records RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
2010: The Year of the Obama Effect?
Washington Post inspiring 2010 campaigns ...... the lesson from those campaigns is to have a distinct message that allows voters to define you in terms other than race, and he plans to focus on education and economic issues while framing himself as a change candidate
Clinton's Goals Detailed
Washington Post open "America Houses" in cities across the Arab world. These facilities, fashioned after a Cold War-era program, would have Internet libraries, English lessons and stories about Muslims in America. An initiative labeled "America's Voice Corps" would recruit young Americans with language and public diplomacy skills to speak with and listen to people in the area. Completing the package would be a Global Education Fund to provide $2 billion for primary education around the world ....... "deep, verifiable reductions in all U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons, whether deployed or non-deployed, strategic or non-strategic." ..... Clinton and Obama were "committed" to Senate approval of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and would encourage India to join it. ........ a $50 million U.S. contribution for an international nuclear fuel bank so nations with nuclear power plants did not need to have their own reprocessing facilities. ..... there are more American troops stationed abroad than any other nation
US says NKorea will face tough Obama AFP
The Obama difference
guardian.co.uk
Russia, Ukraine sign 10-year gas supply deal Reuters
India-US: advancing a transformed relationship Reuters UK
Canada, UK eye nuclear power deal with India Economic Times
Last-ditch power talks resume in Zimbabwe
CNN International
India’s Tamil Political Leaders Demand End to War in Sri Lanka Bloomberg
Sri Lanka's most wanted Tiger running out of options AFP
China slowdown to prolong Aussie pain Melbourne Herald Sun
Pope Benedict XVI to get his own Google channel Times Online
Google improves its tools for the video ad market IBLNEWS
Soccer's $160 Million Man Forbes
Edgar Allan Poe at 200 New York Times