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,2as 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.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.3
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, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businees 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.
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.
4
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 real to firm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble ideas is paed on from generations to generations: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happine.
5
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.Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward.Where the answer is no, the program is likely to end.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers.We are shaped by every language and every culture, and drawn from every end of this Earth;
Our challenges may be new.But those values upon which our succe depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism --all these things are old but they are really true.This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
6
This is the journey we continue today.We remain the most prosperous and the most powerful nation on Earth.Our workers are no le productive, Our minds are no le inventive, our goods and services are no le needed than they were last week or last month or last year.Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
7
America.In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timele 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, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to the future generations.
Thank you....God ble you...and god ble the whole United States...8
