Thank You, Iowa——奥巴马艾奥瓦州获胜演讲

《艾奥瓦之夜》 艾奥瓦州德斯莫内斯，2008年1月3日

        谢谢你，艾奥瓦。

        有人说这一天永远不会到来。

        有人说我们好高骛远。

        有人说这是一个分裂的国家，很难再为同一个目标风雨同舟、甘苦与共。

        在这个新年的夜晚里，你们让所有质疑的人闭嘴。这是个足以载入史册的时刻；五天之后新罕布什尔也会迎来同样一个时刻；2008年，整个美国都将迎来这样一个欢欣鼓舞的时刻！学校和教堂旁、乡村和城市中，民主党人、共和党人抑或无党派人士，你们怀揣着不同的政治主张而来，你们发出同一个声音：我们是一个国家，我们是一个民族，我们变革的时代已经到来！

        长久以来，华盛顿被斤斤计较的政治风气所笼罩，早已难堪重负。国家的未来要求我们携起手去结束这种政治的尔虞我诈，重还联邦“合众为一”的伟大理 想；要求我们抛弃党派隔阂、求同存异共谋改变！只有这样，我们才能在十一月相拥而笑，共同担当起这个国家的命运。

       我们用希望对抗恐惧，用联合对抗分裂，我们用有力的声音向所有人宣布，美利坚革旧维新之日已至，否终复泰、锦绣可期！

       你们用强有力的声音告诉那些自以为能用金钱和权势压制人民意愿的说客，“你们不配做我们的政府，我们才是国家的主人！我们来，为我们自己的政府而来！”

       人们需要的是一个能够直面选择与挑战的总统；一个虚己以听、从谏如流的总统；一个直言不讳、真诚坦率的总统。谢谢你，艾奥瓦，你们的选择让新罕布什尔州的选民信心百倍，你们将使这样的总统从可能成为现实！

       谢谢你们。

       我会让每一个美国人都能获得医疗服务。伊利诺斯州议会的成功经验告诉我，若能摒弃党派分歧通力合作，这一目标并非遥不可及。

       我会让每个将工作机会转移到国外的公司付出代价，为长久以来承担了巨大社会责任的美国中产阶级减税。

我会努力让农场主、科学家和企业家们坐在一起，发挥创造力，根本性地解决美国对石油的依赖。

       我会结束伊拉克战争，让士兵们重回家园；我要让美国重拾自己的道德准则；我要让所有人知道9/11不应该是诓取选票的幌子，而应是让美国与国际社会广泛开展合作，应对诸如恐怖主义与核扩散，全球变暖与贫困，种族屠杀与疾病等21世纪人类共同威胁的机遇。

       今夜，艾奥瓦的选择让我们距离这样一个美国又近了一步。在此我特别想感谢选举的组织者和选区负责人、志愿者和我的竞选团队。没有你们就没有这一切。

       同时，我想感谢我的妻子米歇尔?奥巴马，她是全家的坚实后盾，是她陪我竞选旅途一路走来。

       你们这样做并非因为我，我知道。我们胸中都有一个坚定的信念，改革的道路虽然崎岖艰险，但深爱着这个国家的人民必将为它殚精竭虑、死而后已。

       此时此刻，之所以我能站在这里，是因为芝加哥的大街小巷闪烁过你们的身影，是因为艾奥瓦州的每一寸土地上都渗透着你们的辛勤付出，为了人们的生活能有一丝改变，你们不吝百倍努力。

       通宵达旦、薪酬微薄，你们将自己全身心地付出。虽然也曾有人因此而感到失落，但这仅仅只是暂时，雨过天晴之后是这样美好的夜晚。当我们多年以后最终实现改变；当每个家庭不再因为健康没有保障而犯愁；当我们的孩子在一个更美好的环境中尽情嬉戏；当整个世界对团结一心的美国刮目相看时，请回望这个夜晚，你们将会为自己曾经做出的选择感到骄傲，你们将自豪地说，梦想始于今晚！

       今晚，无畏的希望越过华盛顿的高墙。

       今晚，不同年龄、不同党派的人们聚集在一起，长久以来的隔阂最终冰消云散。那些对政治失望已久的人们第一次走向投票站，为这个国家投出自己公民的责任。

       今晚，曾让我们四分五裂的恐惧、疑虑和犬儒主义政治终于偃旗息鼓。期待已久的一刻终于来到。

数年以后回望今晚，回忆此时此刻此景，我们会更了解它对希望的意义。

       几个月以来，我们饱受挖苦和嘲讽，因为我们竟敢谈论希望。

       希望不是盲目的乐观主义，不是对未来的困难轻描淡写，不是对可能出现的艰难险阻置若罔闻，更不是袖手旁观、畏首畏尾。尽管现实常常事与愿违，但希望永远是我们心中的信仰，只要我们敢于寻找，希望就总在不远的前方。

       我在一个来自锡达拉匹兹市的年轻女士眼中看到了希望：她白天在学校读书，晚上加班挣钱，却仍然不能负担妹妹的医疗费。但她没有对这个国家失去信心，她仍相信自己的梦想终将实现。

       我从一个来自新罕布什尔州妇女的话语中听到了希望：她说自从侄儿被派往伊拉克战场之后就一直惴惴不安，于是夜夜祈祷，希望他能平安归来。

       希望曾带领殖民地人民奋起反抗帝国暴行；希望曾带领我们的伟大先辈解放了一个大陆、救活了一个民族；希望让青年男女不惧肤色的界限，敢为自由手挽手勇敢面对高压水柱，穿越塞尔玛（Selma）直至蒙哥马利（Mongomery） 。

       希望让我今天站在这里——父亲来自肯尼亚、母亲来自堪萨斯，这样的故事只可能发生在美利坚的土地上。希望是这个国家的基石和信仰，我们的命运并不被别人掌握，而是在我们脚下，在那些不甘受这个世界摆布的人手中，在那些立志改变世界的人心中！

       从艾奥瓦，我们燃起希望，希望将从这里传向新罕布什尔，传向更远的地方；经风历雨、浮浮沉沉，我们手中紧握希望；一砖一瓦、一石一垒，我们用粗糙的双手一 起搭建希望，所谓平凡者亦不平凡；这个国家不应有党派隔阂，不应有红蓝之分，因为我们是美利坚合众国。“纵有万千之众，我等实为一体”，此情此境，我们愿意再次相信。

       谢谢你，艾奥瓦！

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: Iowa Caucus Night

Des Moines, IA | January 03, 2008

Thank you, Iowa.

You know, they said this day would never come.

They said our sights were set too high.

They said this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose.

But on this January night - at this defining moment in history - you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. You have done what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days. You have done what America can do in this New Year, 2008. In lines that stretched around schools and churches; in small towns and big cities; you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come.

You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that's consumed Washington; to end the political strategy that's been all about division and instead make it about addition - to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. Because that's how we'll win in November, and that's how we'll finally meet the challenges that we face as a nation.

We are choosing hope over fear. We're choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America.

You said the time has come to tell the lobbyists who think their money and their influence speak louder than our voices that they don't own this government, we do; and we are here to take it back.

The time has come for a President who will be honest about the choices and the challenges we face; who will listen to you and learn from you even when we disagree; who won't just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know. And in New Hampshire, if you give me the same chance that Iowa did tonight, I will be that president for America.

Thank you.

I'll be a President who finally makes health care affordable and available to every single American the same way I expanded health care in Illinois - by--by bringing Democrats and Republicans together to get the job done.

I'll be a President who ends the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas and put a middle-class tax cut into the pockets of the working Americans who deserve it.

I'll be a President who harnesses the ingenuity of farmers and scientists and entrepreneurs to free this nation from the tyranny of oil once and for all.

And I'll be a President who ends this war in Iraq and finally brings our troops home; who restores our moral standing; who understands that 9/11 is not a way to scare up votes, but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the twenty-first century; common threats of terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease.

Tonight, we are one step closer to that vision of America because of what you did here in Iowa. And so I'd especially like to thank the organizers and the precinct captains; the volunteers and the staff who made this all possible.

And while I'm at it, on "thank yous," I think it makes sense for me to thank the love of my life, the rock of the Obama family, the closer on the campaign trail; give it up for Michelle Obama.

I know you didn't do this for me. You did this-you did this because you believed so deeply in the most American of ideas - that in the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.

I know this-I know this because while I may be standing here tonight, I'll never forget that my journey began on the streets of Chicago doing what so many of you have done for this campaign and all the campaigns here in Iowa - organizing, and working, and fighting to make people's lives just a little bit better.

I know how hard it is. It comes with little sleep, little pay, and a lot of sacrifice. There are days of disappointment, but sometimes, just sometimes, there are nights like this - a night-a night that, years from now, when we've made the changes we believe in; when more families can afford to see a doctor; when our children-when Malia and Sasha and your children-inherit a planet that's a little cleaner and safer; when the world sees America differently, and America sees itself as a nation less divided and more united; you'll be able to look back with pride and say that this was the moment when it all began.

This was the moment when the improbable beat what Washington always said was inevitable.

This was the moment when we tore down barriers that have divided us for too long - when we rallied people of all parties and ages to a common cause; when we finally gave Americans who'd never participated in politics a reason to stand up and to do so.

This was the moment when we finally beat back the politics of fear, and doubt, and cynicism; the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up. This was the moment.

Years from now, you'll look back and you'll say that this was the moment - this was the place - where America remembered what it means to hope.

For many months, we've been teased, even derided for talking about hope.

But we always knew that hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.

Hope is what I saw in the eyes of the young woman in Cedar Rapids who works the night shift after a full day of college and still can't afford health care for a sister who's ill; a young woman who still believes that this country will give her the chance to live out her dreams.

Hope is what I heard in the voice of the New Hampshire woman who told me that she hasn't been able to breathe since her nephew left for Iraq; who still goes to bed each night praying for his safe return.

Hope is what led a band of colonists to rise up against an empire; what led the greatest of generations to free a continent and heal a nation; what led young women and young men to sit at lunch counters and brave fire hoses and march through Selma and Montgomery for freedom's cause.

Hope-hope-is what led me here today - with a father from Kenya; a mother from Kansas; and a story that could only happen in the United States of America. Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have the courage to remake the world as it should be.

That is what we started here in Iowa, and that is the message we can now carry to New Hampshire and beyond; the same message we had when we were up and when we were down; the one that can change this country brick by brick, block by block, calloused hand by calloused hand - that together, ordinary people can do extraordinary things; because we are not a collection of Red States and Blue States, we are the United States of America; and at this moment, in this election, we are ready to believe again. Thank you, Iowa.

Part 1 感谢选民

首先我想告诉大家，我对你们每一个人有多感激：你们将全部的精力和希望都投入到选举活动中；你们不顾辛劳驱车数英里，为的只是在街旁挥舞自制的标语；你们省吃俭用筹集选举经费；你们与朋友或邻居谈论甚至争执（谁更合适）；你们发电子邮件，或是通过其它方式在网上支持我；你们在我们共同的事业中投入太多。尤其对那些来参加我们活动的父母们表示感谢，你们把孩子们放在肩膀上，告诉他们，“看，你可以做你想做的任何事。”

感谢孩子们，比如来自Ohio, Mayfield的13岁女孩Anne Riddell，她放弃计划了两年的迪斯尼之旅，而选择和妈妈一起到宾夕法尼亚（为我们）做义工。

感谢所有的退伍军人，所有儿时的朋友，所有的纽约州人和阿肯色州人，你们的足迹遍布整个美国，告诉每个愿意聆听的人为什么你们支持我。我同样要感谢那些在女性享有投票权以前出生的八九十岁的女性，妳们毫无保留地支持竞选。我之前曾经告诉过大家，南卡罗来那州88岁的Florence Stein坚持让她的女儿把缺席选举人票带到医院床前。她的女儿和一个朋友在她的床后挂上美国国旗并帮助她完成了选票。

在那之后不久，她就永远地离开了我们，并且根据州法律，她的选票并不具有法律效力，然而她的女儿告诉记者:“我父亲是个坏脾气的老牛仔，然而，他并不愿意听到妈妈的选票不算数，20年都没投过票的的他替妈妈补上了这张选票。”

因此，对那些投票给我和我给过最大承诺的人，我想说，我对你们的承诺绝不食言，我们追求的进步永无止境。

你们用组成我们生命的欢乐与哀愁一次又一次激励和触动我。而我也因你们对这个国家的承诺而感到渺小。1800万各界人民，无论男女、老少、族裔、贫富、性向，都和我站在一起。

然而我将继续与你们同在，无论时间、地点，我将尽我的全力。只因我们拥有值得为之奋斗的梦想。

记住，我们是为那个在工作和学校来回奔波的单亲妈妈而奋斗，她告诉我：“我要尽全力给女儿一个更好的母亲。”

我们是为那个抓住我的手问我“你打算做什么来确保我拥有医疗保障？”便接着哭泣的女性而奋斗。因为即使她打三份工，依然不能支付医疗保险。

我们是为那个几个月也等不到医疗保障的Marine Corps（美国一家制衣企业）的年轻工人而奋斗。他告诉我：“帮帮我的伙伴们。”

我们是为那些丢失工作，不享有医疗保障的人而奋斗；为那些支付不起生活的基本开销，也不能负担上大学的费用的人而奋斗；为那些在过去七年里却没有得到总统的丝毫关注的人们而奋斗。

我加入这场竞赛因为我对公众服务保持着单纯的信仰，那就是帮助人们解决问题并实现梦想。我在我个人的生命历程中把握机会，享受祝福，而我希望每一个美国人都能拥有这些。

当那一天到来的时候，你们依然会发现我在民主的最前线，为未来而奋斗。

Part 2 重申政见&支持奥巴马

继续我们的奋斗，完成我们依然坚持的梦想的方式，就是投入我们的精力、我们的激情、我们的力量、我们所拥有的一切去支持未来的美国总统——奥巴马——竞选。

今天，在我退出竞选的时候，我祝贺他取得的每一个胜利和这场非同寻常的竞赛。我将尽我的全力支持他。

我希望你们同我一样加入到支持奥巴马的阵营中，就像你们支持我那样去支持奥巴马。

我与他在参议院共事四年。我和他在这场竞选中竞争了16个月。我与他唇枪舌剑地在台上辩论了22场。我最有资格证明他有这个资格，而且我在这个过程中看到的他的坚毅与决心，他的优雅与勇气。

奥巴马在他的生活中已经实现了美国梦，从在州参议院成为社区召集人，直至成为国家参议员。他坚信梦想能够实现。而在这场竞选中，他激励了许多人参与到民主进程中，为我们共同的未来出力。

当决意参与这场竞争时，我就希望（民主党）赢回白宫，让我们有一位能带领美国重新回到通往和平、富裕和进步轨道上的总统。当然，这就是我们正在做的，我们要保证在2009年1月20日，巴拉克 奥巴马走进总统办公室。

现在，我了解——我相当了解这是一场怎样激励的竞争，但是民主党从来就是一个大家庭。因此现在正是我们修复关系，为共同的愿景，为珍视的价值观，为我们爱的国家走到一起的时候。

我们也许开始于不同的旅程，但如今我们走到一起。我们正在为同样的目标而努力，在这个成败关头，我们要比以往更团结、准备更充分，在11月是我们的国家重回正确的轨道。

我们都希望有一个能够继续维系美国梦的经济，一个能够通过辛勤工作获得报酬的机会，一个受大学教育的机会，一个家和无忧的退休生活，负担基本生活开支的能力，还有，就是欣欣向荣的经济情况并保证财富被广泛地分配和享有。

我们都希望有一个全面的、高质量的、可负担的医疗保障体系，让父母们不再为孩子或是他们自己的医疗保障而担心，或者将他们从为支付医疗保险而不得不做的无穷无尽的工作中解脱出来。

这不仅仅是我一个人的事。它是一个火种，它更是我将继续下去的战斗，直到每一个美国人都被保障，概莫能外。

我们希望一个由深远而有意义的平等定义的美国，从民权到劳工权利，从妇女权利到同性恋权利，从结束歧视到增进联系进而到帮助完成最重要的工作：关心我们的家庭。

我们都希望重新树立美国在世界的领先地位，希望结束在伊拉克的战争，希望再次被我们价值观的力量引导，并且同我们的盟友一起面临我们共同的挑战，从贫困与种族灭绝到恐怖主义与全球变暖。

你们都知道，我在过去40年中以各种方式或多或少参与到政治及公众生活中。在这40年中，我们选举过10次总统。民主党人只赢得了其中的三次，而两次赢得选举的那个男人今天就和我们在一起。

在一个民主党籍总统的带领下，我们在90年代实现了巨大的进步，拥有大幅增长的经济和在世界备受尊敬的维护和平与安全的领导力。

想一想，如果过去40年里，我们有多一个民主党籍总统，我们还能取得多大的成就。想一想我们在过去七年里在各个方面失去的机会，无论是环境、经济，医疗保障、民权，教育，外交还是法律。

想想如果有一名民主党籍的总统，我们能够走多远，我们能取得多大的成就。

我们不能再让机会溜走。我们已经走了这么远，完成了这么多事。

现在，前路并不轻松。有些人说我们搞不定，因为我们完不成那样艰巨的任务。但是从美国存在以来，很重要的传统就是拒绝否定自己，而是去做出自己的选择，在意志力和创业精神的引导下，从艰苦的工作中破茧而出。

这是奥巴马参议员与我共有的信仰和乐观主义，也正是这，激励成百上千万的我们的支持者们发出自己的声音。因此，今天我要同奥巴马参议员一起，告诉大家：“是的，我们做得到。”

我们要继续——我们必须要继续奋斗，实现全民健保。直到有一天，我们生活在一个任何人都享有医疗保险的美国，那将是一个更为强大的美国。这也是为什么我们要选择奥巴马做我们的总统的原因。

我们必须要继续奋斗，重塑财政责任和健壮的中产阶级。直到有一天，美国的中产阶级依然在奋斗并成长，每个人无论背景都能有尊严地活着，那将是一个更为强大的美国。这也是为什么我们要选择奥巴马做我们的总统的原因。

我们必须要继续奋斗，关注创新，实现能源独立，消除威胁后代生存的全球变暖。直到有一天，美国由可再生能源驱动，那将是一个更为强大的美国。这也是为什么我们要选择奥巴马做我们的总统的原因。

我们必须要继续奋斗，实现从伊拉克撤军，并让他们获得应有的支持。直到有一天，美国人对军队像军人们对我们那样忠诚，那将是一个更为强大的美国。这也是为什么我们要选择奥巴马做我们的总统的原因。

这场选举具有决定性的意义。我们都理解我们的选择有多么重要。我们将会继续前进，抑或是停滞后退？

现在，想想我们已经实现了多大的进步。我们刚开始的时候，到处都有人在问同样的问题——女人能够领导国家吗？我想，答案已经很清楚了。

非裔美国人能做我们的总统吗？奥巴马参议员同样给了我们答案。

奥巴马参议员和我一同达到我们国家历史上的里程碑，这是我们建立更完美联盟的恒久使命的一部分。

Part 3 作为女性

就我个人而言，在我曾被问到参与竞选总统对一个女人意味着什么时，我总是给出同样的答案——我很骄傲我能作为女人去竞选总统，但是，我参与竞选是因为我认为我将是最棒的总统。

然而，我是一个女人，和其他许许多多的女人一样，我知道社会上依然存在着障碍与偏见，很多时候甚至是潜意识的。因而，我想要美国成为一个尊重并能够使每个人的潜力得到发挥的地方。

我作为一个女儿，享有许多我母亲从未梦想过的权利。我作为一个母亲，又担心女儿的未来，并想要给所有的孩子更光明的未来。

要实现这样的未来，我们必须要确保每一个人——无论男女——都了解他们的祖母和母亲们曾经的奋斗，并明白妇女享有平等的机会、公平的报酬和同等的尊重。

让我们下定决心去解决这样简单的命题：在21世纪的美国不会有任何能够被接受的限制与偏见。

从现在起，你可以如此骄傲，一个女人赢得主要大州的胜利很平凡，一个女人差一点赢得提名很平凡，一个女人能够成为美国的总统很平凡。而这一切是如此不平凡，我的朋友们。

我想告诉那些因为我们不能走完全程而失望的人们，特别是那些为选举倾注心力的年轻人，如果你们因此而丧失追求个人目标的动力，我会真的感到伤心。

永远要志存高远，永远要努力工作，永远执着于你相信的。当你遭遇挫折的时候，坚持信仰。当你被打倒的时候，马上站起来，不要听从那些说你做到或你不应该继续的人们。

今天，当我们在这里集会的时候，第50位飞离地球的妇女，正在我们的头顶的天空环绕地球飞行。而如果我们能够将50个妇女送入太空，那么总有一天我们也会将一个妇女送入白宫。

虽然这一次我们无法打破那最高、最坚硬的玻璃天花板，但是由于你们，它出现了1800万道裂缝：光明从未像现在这样耀眼，使我们充满希望，确信下一次这条道路将变得更容易一些。

这已经写入了美国的历史进程。想想1848年在塞内卡瀑布集会的女权主义者和那些为妇女投票权奋斗终身的人们。

想想那些没能看到奴隶制终结却为之奋斗的废奴主义者们。想想那些冒着生命危险最终终结种族隔离制度的民权斗士和步兵们，还有吉姆?克劳法案。

因为他们，我自然认为女性拥有投票权；因为他们，我的女儿自然认为不同肤色的孩子们能够一同上学。

因为他们，巴拉克?奥巴马和我能够为民主党的提名进行激励的竞争。因为他们和你们，今天的孩子们自然认为非裔美国人和女性能够成为美国总统。因此，当那一天到来时，当一名女性宣誓成为总统时，我们可以站得更高，为这个国家的价值观而自豪，为每一个小女孩都可以有宏伟的梦想并且这个梦想能在美国实现而自豪。

Part 4 励志&感谢

你们都会知道，你们今日的激情付出和努力工作，铺下通往那一天的道路。所以我要告诉我的支持者们：当你们听到人们对你说或者你自己想“要是……”或者“如果……”的时候，你们一定不要那样。浪费在后悔的每一秒都会阻止我们前进的脚步。

生活如此短暂，时间因而如此珍贵，纠缠在那些没什么可能性的事情上赌注太高。我们要一起为能够实现的事情携手努力。我正是我全心支持奥巴马参议员做下一任总统的原因。

我希望并祈祷你们全都能加入我，以贡献你们的全部力量。

感谢我在国会的支持者和同僚们，也感谢与我患难与共的公务员们，感谢你们的能力和领导力。

感谢一路支持我的来自工会的朋友们，我将一直支持你们。

感谢我生命各个阶段的朋友们，你们的爱和恒久的承诺伴我度过每一天。

感谢我的家庭，特别是比尔、切尔西和我的母亲，你们是我的全部，我对你们所做的一切表示感谢。

感谢我杰出的竞选团队成员、志愿者和支持者们。感谢你们在这漫长而艰难的岁月里付出的时间。感谢你们放弃所有，离校或者离职，去到你们从未到过的地方，有时长达数月之久。更感谢你们的家庭，因为你们的付出也是他们的牺牲。感谢你们一路上坚定地支持我。

虽然作为人，我们注定不完美，但这也正是我们需要彼此的原因，我们相互扶持走过困境，相互鼓励走出沮丧。一些人领路，另一些人追随，因为我们不可能独自到达。

我们为之奋斗的改变只有通过我们携手共进才能实现。人生、自由和对幸福的追求是我们作为个体享有的权利。但是我们的人生、我们的自由、我们的快乐只有在我们携手时，才能被我们更好的享受，得到更好的保护，并达到更高的程度。

这就是我们加入奥巴马参议员和他的阵营后要做的。我们一同创造历史，一同书写美国历史的新篇章。我们将站在同一战线，为我们珍视的价值观，为我们共有的愿景，为这个我们所爱的国家。

再没有比这更美国的了。

今天看着你们，我从未感到这么有福。我在竞选过程中面临的困难与你们在各自日常生活中面临的相比，是微不足道的。

因此今天我要祈祷并继续走下去。无论在面对公众时，还是在日常生活里，我要继续做我一直以来做的事情：努力使每个美国人和我用相同的机会，努力保证每一个孩子无论男女都有机会长大去实现自己的潜力。

我将带着一颗感恩的心，对这个国家深沉的爱，和对往后日子的了关于自信继续我的路。

这是我们尽全力去使另一位民主党总统当选以充实过去40年来的短小名单的时候，这是我们将这个国家带回正轨，再一次带着希望与梦想向未来前进的时候。

感谢你们。上帝保佑大家，上帝保佑美利坚。

Transcript

Hillary Clinton Endorses Barack Obama

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Published: June 7, 2008

Following is a transcript of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s speech Saturday on suspending her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions:

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Election GuideMore Politics NewsThank you very, very much. Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company.

(APPLAUSE) And I want to start today by saying how grateful I am to all of you, to everyone who poured your hearts and your hopes into this campaign, who drove for miles and lined the streets waving homemade signs, who scrimped and saved to raise money, who knocked on doors and made calls, who talked, sometimes argued with your friends and neighbors...

(APPLAUSE)

... who e-mailed and contributed online, who invested so much in our common enterprise, to the moms and dads who came to our events, who lifted their little girls and little boys on their shoulders and whispered in their ears, "See, you can be anything you want to be."

(APPLAUSE)

To the young people...

(APPLAUSE)

... like 13-year-old Anne Riddell (ph) from Mayfield, Ohio, who had been saving for two years to go to Disney World and decided to use her savings instead to travel to Pennsylvania with her mom and volunteer there, as well.

To the veterans, to the childhood friends, to New Yorkers and Arkansans...

(APPLAUSE)

... who traveled across the country, telling anyone who would listen why you supported me. And to all of those women in their 80s and their 90s...

(APPLAUSE)

... born before women could vote, who cast their votes for our campaign. I've told you before about Florence Stein (ph) of South Dakota who was 88 years old and insisted that her daughter bring an absentee ballot to her hospice bedside. Her daughter and a friend put an American flag behind her bed and helped her fill out the ballot.

She passed away soon after and, under state law, her ballot didn't count, but her daughter later told a reporter, "My dad's an ornery, old cowboy, and he didn't like it when he heard Mom's vote wouldn't be counted. I don't think he had voted in 20 years, but he voted in place of my mom."

(APPLAUSE)

So to all those who voted for me and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding.

You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives. And you have humbled me with your commitment to our country. Eighteen million of you, from all walks of life...

(APPLAUSE)

... women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African- American and Caucasian...

(APPLAUSE)

... rich, poor, and middle-class, gay and straight, you have stood with me.

(APPLAUSE)

And I will continue to stand strong with you every time, every place, in every way that I can. The dreams we share are worth fighting for.

Remember, we fought for the single mom with the young daughter, juggling work and school, who told me, "I'm doing it all to better myself for her."

We fought for the woman who grabbed my hand and asked me, "What are you going to do to make sure I have health care?" and began to cry, because even though she works three jobs, she can't afford insurance.

We fought for the young man in the Marine Corps t-shirt who waited months for medical care and said, "Take care of my buddies over there, and then will you please take care of me?"

(APPLAUSE)

We fought for all those who've lost jobs and health care, who can't afford gas or groceries or college, who have felt invisible to their president these last seven years.

I entered this race because I have an old-fashioned conviction that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their dreams. I've had every opportunity and blessing in my own life, and I want the same for all Americans.

And until that day comes, you'll always find me on the front lines of democracy, fighting for the future.

(APPLAUSE)

The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him.

(APPLAUSE)

And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.

(APPLAUSE)

Page 2 of 4)

I have served in the Senate with him for four years. I have been in this campaign with him for 16 months. I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with him in 22 debates. I've had a front-row seat to his candidacy, and I have seen his strength and determination, his grace and his grit.

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Election GuideMore Politics NewsIn his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American dream, as a community organizer, in the State Senate, as a United States senator. He has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized. And in this campaign, he has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.

Now, when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House and make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity and progress. And that's exactly what we're going to do, by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, I understand -- I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight, but the Democratic Party is a family. And now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.

We may have started on separate journeys, but today our paths have merged. And we're all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and to turn our country around, because so much is at stake.

We all want an economy that sustains the American dream, the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford that gas and those groceries, and still have a little left over at the end of the month, an economy that lifts all of our people and ensures that our prosperity is broadly distributed and shared.

We all want a health care system that is universal, high-quality and affordable...

(APPLAUSE)

... so that parents don't have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck in dead-end jobs simply to keep their insurance.

This isn't just an issue for me. It is a passion and a cause, and it is a fight I will continue until every single American is insured, no exceptions and no excuses.

(APPLAUSE)

We all want an America defined by deep and meaningful equality, from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay rights...

(APPLAUSE)

... from ending discrimination to promoting unionization, to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families.

And we all want to restore America's standing in the world, to end the war in Iraq, and once again lead by the power of our values...

(APPLAUSE)

... and to join with our allies to confront our shared challenges, from poverty and genocide to terrorism and global warming.

You know, I've been involved in politics and public life in one way or another for four decades. And during those...

(APPLAUSE)

During those 40 years, our country has voted 10 times for president. Democrats won only three of those times, and the man who won two of those elections is with us today.

(APPLAUSE)

We made tremendous progress during the '90s under a Democratic president, with a flourishing economy and our leadership for peace and security respected around the world.

Just think how much more progress we could have made over the past 40 years if we'd had a Democratic president. Think about the lost opportunities of these past seven years on the environment and the economy, on health care and civil rights, on education, foreign policy and the Supreme Court.

Imagine how far...

(APPLAUSE)

... we could have come, how much we could have achieved if we had just had a Democrat in the White House.

(APPLAUSE)

We cannot let this moment slip away. We have come too far and accomplished too much.

Now, the journey ahead will not be easy. Some will say we can't do it, that it's too hard, we're just not up to the task. But for as long as America has existed, it has been the American way to reject can't-do claims and to choose instead to stretch the boundaries of the possible through hard work, determination, and a pioneering spirit.

Page 3 of 4)

It is this belief, this optimism that Senator Obama and I share and that has inspired so many millions of our supporters to make their voices heard. So today I am standing with Senator Obama to say: Yes, we can!

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And that together we will work -- we'll have to work hard to achieve universal health care. But on the day we live in an America where no child, no man, and no woman is without health insurance, we will live in a stronger America. That's why we need to help elect Barack Obama our president.

(APPLAUSE)

We'll have to work hard to get back to fiscal responsibility and a strong middle class. But on the day we live in an America whose middle class is thriving and growing again, where all Americans, no matter where they live or where their ancestors came from, can earn a decent living, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.

(APPLAUSE)

We'll have to work hard to foster the innovation that will make us energy independent and lift the threat of global warming from our children's future. But on the day we live in an America fueled by renewable energy, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we have to help elect Barack Obama our president.

(APPLAUSE)

We'll have to work hard to bring our troops home from Iraq and get them the support they've earned by their service. But on the day we live in an America that's as loyal to our troops as they have been to us, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.

(APPLAUSE)

This election is a turning-point election. And it is critical that we all understand what our choice really is. Will we go forward together, or will we stall and slip backwards?

Now, think how much progress we've already made. When we first started, people everywhere asked the same questions. Could a woman really serve as commander-in-chief? Well, I think we answered that one.

(APPLAUSE)

Could an African-American really be our president? And Senator Obama has answered that one. (APPLAUSE)

Together, Senator Obama and I achieved milestones essential to our progress as a nation, part of our perpetual duty to form a more perfect union.

Now, on a personal note, when I was asked what it means to be a woman running for president, I always gave the same answer, that I was proud to be running as a woman, but I was running because I thought I'd be the best president. But...

(APPLAUSE)

But I am a woman and, like millions of women, I know there are still barriers and biases out there, often unconscious, and I want to build an America that respects and embraces the potential of every last one of us.

(APPLAUSE)

I ran as a daughter who benefited from opportunities my mother never dreamed of. I ran as a mother who worries about my daughter's future and a mother who wants to leave all children brighter tomorrows.

To build that future I see, we must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and their mothers, and that women enjoy equal opportunities, equal pay, and equal respect.

(APPLAUSE)

Let us...

(APPLAUSE)

Let us resolve and work toward achieving very simple propositions: There are no acceptable limits, and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st century in our country.

(APPLAUSE)

You can be so proud that, from now on, it will be unremarkable for a woman to win primary state victories...

(APPLAUSE)

... unremarkable to have a woman in a close race to be our nominee, unremarkable to think that a woman can be the president of the United States. And that is truly remarkable, my friends.

(APPLAUSE)

To those who are disappointed that we couldn't go all of the way, especially the young people who put so much into this campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal, I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.

Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep faith. And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.

(APPLAUSE)

Page 4 of 4)

As we gather here today in this historic, magnificent building, the 50th woman to leave this Earth is orbiting overhead. If we can blast 50 women into space, we will someday launch a woman into the White House.

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Election GuideMore Politics News(APPLAUSE)

Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it...

(APPLAUSE)

... and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.

That has always been the history of progress in America. Think of the suffragists who gathered at Seneca Falls in 1848 and those who kept fighting until women could cast their votes.

Think of the abolitionists who struggled and died to see the end of slavery. Think of the civil rights heroes and foot soldiers who marched, protested, and risked their lives to bring about the end of segregation and Jim Crow.

(APPLAUSE)

Because of them, I grew up taking for granted that women could vote and, because of them, my daughter grew up taking for granted that children of all colors could go to school together.

Because of them, Barack Obama and I could wage a hard-fought campaign for the Democratic nomination. Because of them and because of you, children today will grow up taking for granted that an African-American or a woman can, yes, become the president of the United States. And so...

(APPLAUSE)

... when that day arrives, and a woman takes the oath of office as our president, we will all stand taller, proud of the values of our nation, proud that every little girl can dream big and that her dreams can come true in America.

And all of you will know that, because of your passion and hard work, you helped pave the way for that day. So I want to say to my supporters: When you hear people saying or think to yourself, "If only, or, "What if," I say, please, don't go there. Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.

(APPLAUSE)

Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. We have to work together for what still can be. And that is why I will work my heart out to make sure that Senator Obama is our next president.

(APPLAUSE)

And I hope and pray that all of you will join me in that effort.

(APPLAUSE)

To my supporters and colleagues in Congress, to the governors and mayors, elected officials who stood with me in good times and bad, thank you for your strength and leadership.

To my friends in our labor unions who stood strong every step of the way, I thank you and pledge my support to you.

To my friends from every stage of my life, your love and ongoing commitment sustained me every single day.

To my family, especially Bill and Chelsea and my mother, you mean the world to me, and I thank you for all you have done.

(APPLAUSE)

And to my extraordinary staff, volunteers and supporters...

(APPLAUSE)

... thank you for working those long, hard hours. Thank you for dropping everything, leaving work or school, traveling to places that you've never been, sometimes for months on end. And thanks to your families, as well, because your sacrifice was theirs, too. All of you were there for me every step of the way.

Now, being human, we are imperfect. That's why we need each other, to catch each other when we falter, to encourage each other when we lose heart. Some may lead, some may follow, but none of us can go it alone.

The changes we're working for are changes that we can only accomplish together. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are rights that belong to us as individuals. But our lives, our freedom, our happiness are best enjoyed, best protected, and best advanced when we do work together.

That is what we will do now, as we join forces with Senator Obama and his campaign. We will make history together, as we write the next chapter in America's story. We will stand united for the values we hold dear, for the vision of progress we share, and for the country we love.

There is nothing more American than that.

And looking out at you today, I have never felt so blessed. The challenges that I have faced in this campaign...

(APPLAUSE)

... are nothing compared to those that millions of Americans face every day in their own lives.

So today I'm going to count my blessings and keep on going. I'm going to keep doing what I was doing long before the cameras ever showed up and what I'll be doing long after they're gone: working to give every American the same opportunities I had and working to ensure that every child has the chance to grow up and achieve his or her God- given potential.

I will do it with a heart filled with gratitude, with a deep and abiding love for our country, and with nothing but optimism and confidence for the days ahead.

This is now our time to do all that we can to make sure that, in this election, we add another Democratic president to that very small list of the last 40 years and that we take back our country and once again move with progress and commitment to the future.

Thank you all. And God bless you, and God bless America.

(APPLAUSE)