第一篇：奥巴马演讲中英对照

Hello，Chicago!If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.芝城父老，别来无恙，余尝闻世人有疑，不知当今美利坚凡事皆可成就耶？开国先贤之志方岿然于世耶？民主之伟力不减于昔年耶？凡存诸疑者，今夕当可释然。

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.今夕之释然，皆蒙美利坚民众之协力——学塾祠庙之外，市井乡野之间，万千父老心焦似焚，苦待竟日，愿献一票之力。其中，平生未尝涉国事者，数亦不少，而今有此义举，皆因一念不衰——今夫天下，非同既往，愿发吁天之声，必成动地之势。

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled.Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of inpiduals or a collection of red states and blue states.We are, and always will be, the United States of America.今夕之释然，皆仰吾国同胞之齐心——何谈贫富老幼之差、党社宗族之异，惶论发肤肌体之别、志趣爱恶之分。吾国既以“合众”为名，吾辈则更无疏离之意，红蓝二党幷肩而立，数十邦州挽手相合，无分你我，共称一家，昂然于世，齐声一呼，天下乃有此释然。

It’s the answer that led those who’ve been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.今夕之释然，皆因愤懑者之镇静，忧惧者之勇气，犹疑者之笃定——平素世间种种，消磨其志向，溃灭其梦想，而值此风云之际，除旧更新，当仁不让，倾力而动乾坤者，更何人哉！

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.俟之诚久，其志弥坚。幸天地明察，乃有今日，乃有此刻，乃有此一选举，乃有我亿万美利坚大好国民——吾邦之大变革，方得自兹而始也！

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen.McCain.Sen.McCain fought long and hard in this campaign.And he’s fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves.He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine.We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.I congratulate him;I congratulate Gov.Palin for all that they’ve achieved.And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.顷接参议员麦君凯恩电，虽未得晤，幸有一谈，其言谆谆，其意诚诚，鄙人感佩之至。选战期内，麦君劳碌几重，奔波几许，皆为国家计。诸般求索，时日良多，皆非余所能及。于国于民之惊人牺牲，亦非庸庸如吾辈者所可想见。以麦君之胆魄襟怀，能为吾邦所用，实国家之幸，万民之幸也。前途漫漫，其事未竟，余所盼瞩由衷者，唯共麦凯恩君、佩林君，及诸贤士比肩，会吾等之绵力，成吾邦之大业。

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.乔君拜登，亦吾所感铭至深者也。竞选之业，艰险不足与外人道，幸有乔君之辅佐，其诚天可鉴之。乔君其人，素言恳辞切，意笃情真，盖尝经斯兰克顿街乡邻之提命，饱聆特拉华州父老之晤教也。他日余既登总统之位，乔君必当副之。

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation’s next first lady Michelle Obama.拙荆米氏，追随鄙人凡一十六年，既为爱侣，更为挚友，既为吾阖家之基石，又乃余终生之至爱。鄙人尝自忖度，倘无贤妻若此，今朝阔论高谈于此处者，不知何人矣！

Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine.And you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the new White House.小女萨沙、玛丽，余素深喜之。昔日为父尝与汝等言，此番选战若得一胜，愿购小犬一头相赠，待阖家乔迁总统府邸之日，偕汝等同进吾宅。今当胜负已出，既有一诺在前，必自践行不欺也。

And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother’s watching, along with the family that made me who I am.I miss them tonight.I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.祖母大人虽已仙逝，料必有灵在天，俯察人寰，想应颔首开颜矣。吾奥巴马氏列祖列宗，亦当如是。今日今时，此情此景，鄙人追思之心，乌鸟之情，曷其有极！唯生死陌路，仙凡有别，虽怀反哺之心，而无答报之门也！

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you’ve given me.I am grateful to them.至若玛雅、艾玛二姐妹，以及吾家诸同胞，所惠我者，亦属良多，久沐恩德，此当拜谢。

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best — the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.To my chief strategist David Axelrod who’s been a partner with me every step of the way.To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.大卫•普劳夫君，大卫•阿克塞罗德君，一为鄙人竞选事务之经理，一为鄙人国事韬略之智囊。余尝自喟叹，左右谋士，余所仰赖者，皆亘古未见之贤才。普阿二君，则更此中之翘楚。区区不才，有何德能，可得膀臂若此？当此功成之际，感荷之心，亦自拳拳。

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to.It belongs to you.It belongs to you.至于鄙人铭之肺腑，须臾不敢忘怀者，则诸位也。盖今日鄙人之胜绩，实诸位之胜绩，鄙人之荣光，实诸位之荣光！

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office.We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements.Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington.It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.余素朴陋，虽有参选之心，幷无必胜之志。谋事之初，银资乏匮，从者寥寥；起事之地，皆蔽寓荒斋，不在高阁；成事之基，无非寻常百姓，涓滴之献。

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.今日之胜，有赖一众热血青年，抛其家，别其室，不辞其苦，不计其酬，矻矻于此——“国中青年爱国之心已泯”之谬论，今可休矣！今日之胜，有赖壮志未已之诸前辈，无惧寒暑，行走奔波，劝说民众。今日之胜，乃数百万美利坚民众之胜，察其意，皆属踊跃为国，观其行，处处谨严有序，足堪告慰二百年前开国之先贤 ——民有、民治、民享之政体，未尝动摇也！

This is your victory.嗟夫！此实诸位之功也！

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election.And I know you didn’t do it for me.You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead.For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.余知诸君之意非在此一选举，亦非在鄙人一身。盖瞻前路之艰辛，益知此任非同小可也。虽今夕欢贺于此，而明朝酒醒，大患仍自当前，不容有怠——两地烽烟熊熊而起，四海之内纷纷而乱，金融业界惶惶而不得宁。

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage or pay their doctors’ bills or save enough for their child’s college education.There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.是夜，饮宴笙歌之声不绝于耳，而异邦大漠群山中，吾国大好青年，兀自苦戍边塞，惝恍竟夜，性命尚未得安。吾国千万庶民，为人父母者，兀自惴惴难眠，所忧者，乃房宅所贷、病患之费、抚育之资也。至若吾国能源之耗，百业之兴，庠序之教，攻伐之术，怀远之道，亦皆吾等忡忡挂怀者也。

The road ahead will be long.Our climb will be steep.We may not get there in one year or even in one term.But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.I promise you, we as a people will get there.渺渺乎其远，如不可达，危危乎其高，若不可攀。朝夕岁月，焉得成就？余不揣愚钝，愿以四载韶华，付诸此业，胜算何如虽不可知，然昂扬必胜之奇志，成就伟业之壮怀，平生未之有也。君子一诺，其重何如，此地今夕，愿斗胆发一狂言——吾辈既在，其事必成！

There will be setbacks and false starts.There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president.And we know the government can’t solve every problem.But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face.I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.逶迤坎坷，份内之事。异见争端，料必有之。国中之政府，谅非无所不能者。余所秉承不移者，唯忠信矣。倘有危难于前，必无欺瞒于世。诸君言论臧否，纵悖逆相左之议，余必当洗耳以聆。于此之外，更当恳请诸君，不吝心血，致力报效，以振吾美利坚重兴之业。余亦别无他想，唯盼吾侪协力，延继吾国既肇二百二十一年之大统，汇涓滴之力，而成万世之业。

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.This victory alone is not the change we seek.It is only the chance for us to make that change.And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.昔年冬日，余有志于斯，投身此业，屈指算来，倏然近二载矣。当此秋夜，追思反省，仍无溃退逃亡之意。选战之胜，无非一役之功，余梦寐所思矢志所求者，非在乎此。溯源究本，此役之胜，不过革世变时一大好良机耳。倘止步于斯，垂手而待，或无诸君倾力相援，则壮志丰功，无非泡影，诸般梦想，终必虚妄。

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people.爱国之心，报国之念，吾人固有之，然逢今日之世，此心此念亦当一变——吾辈各执己业，益当各竭其力，各尽其命，非但为一己之利，而更期普世之荣。今岁，金融业界动荡多舛，细审观之，当可以之为鉴——实业之损，亦是金融之伤。可知，既在邦域之内，吾辈荣辱休戚，皆相与共矣！

第二篇：奥巴马演讲全集(中英对照)

Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention: The Audacity of Hope July 27, 2004

On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention.Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let's face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely.My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya.He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack.His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son.Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place: America, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before.While studying here, my father met my mother.She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas.Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression.The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty, joined Patton's army and marched across Europe.Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line.After the war, they studied on the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, and later moved west all the way to Hawaii in search of opportunity.And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents.My parents shared not only an improbable love;they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation.They would give me an African name, Barack, or “blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve your potential.They are both passed away now.Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with great pride.They stand here, and I stand here today, grateful for the persity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my two precious daughters.I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy.Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams, the insistence on small miracles.That we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm.That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door.That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody's son.That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will he countedDemocrats, Republicans, IndependentsI am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeperthere's the United States of America.There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America;there's the United States of America.The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States;Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats.But I've got news for them, too.We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States.We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States.There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it.We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.In the end, that's what this election is about.Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? I'm not talking about blind optimism hereat this defining moment in historyto 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 pision, 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 Illinoisthat 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 Iowaa 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 pided 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 pided us for too longthis was the placewith 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 handa champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours--Hillary Rodham Clinton.To President Clinton, who last night made the case for change as only he can make it;to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service;and to the next Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you.I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.To the love of my life, our next First Lady, Michelle Obama, and to Sasha and Maliaof the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.It is that promise that has always set this country apartstudents and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors--found the courage to keep it alive.We meet at one of those defining momentsenough!This momentis our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive.Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third.And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight.On November 4th, we must stand up and say: “Eight is enough.”

Now let there be no doubt.The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect.And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time.Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your livesSenator McCain has been anything but independent.He said that our economy has made “great progress” under this President.He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong.And when one of his chief advisorswas talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a “mental recession,” and that we've become, and I quote, “a nation of whiners.” A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made.Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty.These are not whiners.They work hard and give back and keep going without complaint.These are the Americans that I know.Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans.I just think he doesn't know.Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than one hundred million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?

It's not because John McCain doesn't care.It's because John McCain doesn't get it.For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophyyou're on your own.Out of work? Tough luck.No health care? The market will fix it.Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstrapswhen the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her joba promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree;who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman.She's the one who taught me about hard work.She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life.She poured everything she had into me.And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine.These are my heroes.Theirs are the stories that shaped me.And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as President of the United States.What is that promise?

It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselvesthe idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation;the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper;I am my sister's keeper.That's the promise we need to keep.That's the change we need right now.So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President.Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.I will cut taxesfor 95% of all working families.Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them.In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels.And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office.Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution.Not even close.As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power.I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America.I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars.And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energyif you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American.If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums.If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves.And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses;and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons.Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dimebecause we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy.And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money.It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F.Kennedy called our “intellectual and moral strength.” Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient.Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair.But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents;that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework;that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.Inpidual responsibility and mutual responsibilitybut he won't even go to the cave where he lives.And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush Administration, even after we learned that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus while we're wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.That's not the judgment we need.That won't keep America safe.We need a President who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past.You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in eighty countries by occupying Iraq.You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington.You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances.If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choicehave built, and we are here to restore that legacy.As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts.But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression.I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation;poverty and genocide;climate change and disease.And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.These are the policies I will pursue.And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain.But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes.Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook.So let us agree that patriotism has no party.I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain.The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag.They have not served a Red America or a Blue Americaour sense of higher purpose.And that's what we have to restore.We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country.The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers.This too is part of America's promiseit's worked before.Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government.When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty.If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.I get it.I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office.I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring.What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me.It's been about you.For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past.You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result.You have shown what history teaches usbecause they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.America, this is one of those moments.I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming.Because I've seen it.Because I've lived it.I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work.I've seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.And I've seen it in this campaign.In the young people who voted for the first time, and in those who got involved again after a very long time.In the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did.I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich.We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong.Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.Instead, it is that American spiritthat pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain;that binds us together in spite of our differences;that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.That promise is our greatest inheritance.It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yourspeople of every creed and color, from every walk of lifethat American promise-and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.奥巴马演讲稿（中英文对照）2009-02-10 23:34Hello, Chicago.您好，芝加哥。

there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.如果仍有人怀疑美国是否是一个能创造奇迹的国度的话，如果还有人仍在疑虑我们美国的缔造者的梦想是否还在我们这个时代存续的话，如果还有人仍在质疑我们民主的力量的话，那么，今晚就给你答案。

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.排起的长队就是答案：云集于学校和教堂周围的人们盛况空前，他们等待了三四个小时，其中许多人还是生平首次经历选举。因为他们坚信：这次结果必定不同，这就是他们的心声。

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled.Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of inpiduals or a collection of red states and blue states.We are, and always will be, the United States of America.无论老幼、穷富；民主党还是共和党；黑人、白人；拉美裔、亚裔、原居民；同性恋、非同性恋；残疾人、健全人。这是全体美国人民共同的抉择。美国向全世界传递一个声音：美国不是乌合之众，也没红州或蓝州之分。我们是，而且永远是，一个整体的美国。

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of 31 history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.这也是对一直以来那些讽刺、担忧和质疑者作出的回答：我们会把握历史的舵轮、使之驶向充满希望的美好未来。

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.虽然等待了很长时间，但在今晚，通过选举，改变美国历史的决定性时刻终于到来了。

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen.McCain.今天傍晚之前，我接到了麦凯恩参议员极具风度的致电。

Sen.McCain fought long and hard in this campaign.And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves.He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine.We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.在竞选过程中，麦凯恩作了长期不懈的努力，而且他还会为他所挚爱的国家更加长期不懈地去奋斗。他已经为美国作出了我们多数人都无法想象的牺牲。我们必须要把工作做好，以报答这位英明而无私的领导人。

I congratulate him;I congratulate Gov.Palin for all that they've achieved.And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.我对他以及佩林州长所做的一切努力深表敬意，我也期待着与他们一起在未来的岁月中为祖国复兴大计而共同努力。

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.我要感谢我的竞选伙伴。为竞选倾尽心血、为出生地斯克兰顿街区和坐火车即到的特拉华州家乡的拥戴者代言的他，就是当选美国副总统的乔.拜登。

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best

friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.如果没有她——我16年来的至友、我家庭的基石、我生命中的至爱、也就是美国未来的第一夫人米歇尔.奥巴马——如没有她的坚定支持，今晚我不可能站在这里。

Sasha and Malia I love you both both so much，And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.马莉娅和萨莎，我也非常爱你们，你们已赢得了带着新买的小狗与我们一同入主白宫的权利。

And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am.I miss them tonight.I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.还有我已去世的外祖母——我知道她也正在看着我，她和我的家人一起见证了我的成长。我今晚非常想念他们，我知道亏欠了他们太多。To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me.I am grateful to them.我的妹妹玛雅、阿尔玛，所有其他的兄弟姐妹们，感谢你们给予我倾力支持，我感念他们。

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best--the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.还有我的竞选顾问大卫.普鲁夫，此次竞选的无名英雄。我认为，是他打造了美国历史上最好最棒的竞选班子。

To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.我的首席策略师大卫.阿克塞尔罗德伴我走过了每一步，他使政史上最佳竞选团队始终团集在你的政见上，我对您为此所作的贡献铭感于心。

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to.It belongs to you.It belongs to you.但最重要的是，我决不会忘记这场胜利该属于谁，胜利属于你们，33 胜利属于人民！

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office.We didn't start with much money or many endorsements.Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington.It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.我始终都不是最有希望的总统竞选人。一开始我们缺少资金及筹码，我们的竞选活动难登华盛顿的大雅之堂，只能始于得梅因、康科德、查尔斯顿的简室陋巷之中；资金是由支持者们从微薄的积蓄中抽出5美元、10美元、20美元（一点一滴）捐助来的；

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.而竞选活动的声势壮大则是源自那些年轻人，他们拒绝接受认为他们这代人冷漠的荒诞说法；他们离开家、离开亲人，从事报酬微薄、不眠不休的工作；

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.同时也源自那些已不年轻的人们，他们冒着严寒酷暑，敲开陌生人的家门进行竞选宣传；更源自数百万的美国民众，他们自发地组织起来当志愿者。这证明历经两百多年之后一个民有、民治、民享的政府，仍未从地球上消亡。

This is your victory.这是你们的胜利。

And I know you didn't do this just to win an election.And I know you didn't do it for me.我知道你们这么做并不只是为了赢得大选，更不是为了我个人。

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead.For even as

we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime--two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.你们这么做是因为你们明白摆在面前的任务有多艰巨。因为即便是我们欢庆胜利的今晚，我们也知道，今后将面临我们一生中最为艰巨的挑战——两场战争。一是地球的环保危机，再就是百年不遇的最严重的金融危机

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.及时今晚我们站在这儿，我们也知道在伊拉克沙漠和阿富汗山区还有勇敢的美国士兵正在警惕地为我们甘冒生命危险

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.有多少父母在孩子熟睡后仍难以入眠，他们在为如何偿还按揭月供、付医药费或攒钱供孩子上大学而发愁。

There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.我们亟待开发新能源；创造新的就业机会；我们需要修建新学校；还要应对众多威胁、恢复与许多国家的关系。

The road ahead will be long.Our climb will be steep.We may not get there in one year or even in one term.But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.I promise you, we as a people will get there.路漫漫其修远兮，吾将逆难而求索。我们未必能够一蹴而就。但是，美国啊！是你今晚给了我从未有过的自信，我会不辱使命。d我向你们承诺：只要团结如一人，目标一定会达到。

There will be setbacks and false starts.There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president.And we know the government can't solve 35 every problem.执政伊始，挫折和错误在所难免。我作为总统所做出的决策，也会有许多人并不赞同。我们知道这届政府并不能解决所有问题。

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face.I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years--block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.但我一定会向你们坦陈所面临的挑战；会认真听从你们的建议，尤其是意见不一致的时候。总之，我诚邀你们参与民族复兴的大业。美国221年来唯一的方式，就是一砖一瓦、胼手胝足地去建设。

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.This victory alone is not the change we seek.It is only the chance for us to make that change.And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.始于21个月前深冬的那一切不应在这个秋夜结束。大选的胜利不是我们所寻求的改变，这仅仅是给我们提供了一次变革良机。我们如果重走回头路的话，变革就难以实现；没有你们的支持，变革难以实现；没有一种新的工作态度，变革难以实现；没有一种新的牺牲精神，变革也难以实现。

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.因此，让我们充满新的爱国主义精神及责任感吧！让我们每个人都决心付出、努力工作并互相关爱吧！

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people.Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.请记住吧！如果说这次金融危机提示了我们什么，那就是在全部街区都陷入危机 36 时，我们难能保持华尔街的繁荣。国家兴亡，匹夫有责。我们要避免以往那种长期毒害我们的党争、卑劣、幼稚政治对我们的诱惑。

Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and inpidual liberty and national unity.Those are values that we all share.And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the pides that have held back our progress.让我们记住吧！之所以有人首次将共和党大旗扛进白宫，就是因为有自强自立、个人自由、国家统一的建档理念。这是我们所有人都信奉的理念。民主党今晚虽获得了大胜，但我们将用谦卑的态度，并决心去弥合在竞选中产生的裂痕。

As Lincoln said to a nation far more pided than ours, we are not enemies but friends.Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.正如林肯在国家出现比我们现在更大分歧时所说：“我们不是敌人，而是朋友。”尽管情势有些紧张，但决不容许我们之间的亲密关系破裂。

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices.I need your help.And I will be your president, too.我要对那些支持并投票给我的美国人，以及那些今晚没有将选票投给我的人说：我都听到了你们的声音，我需要你们的帮助，而我将同样是你们的总统；

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.我要对所有远在大洋彼岸关注今夜结果的国际人士——不管他们是在国会、皇宫、还是聚在荒僻角落听收音机——我要对他们说：我们的国情各有千秋，但我们休戚与共。美国领导人已掌控一切、曙光乍现。

To those--to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you.To those who seek peace and security: We support you.And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.还有——我还要对那些破坏世界和平的人说：我将打败你；我要对那些寻求和平与安全的人说：我们支持你；对所有那些疑惑美国的灯塔能否继续闪耀光芒的人，今夜我们将再次申明：美国的真正力量并非来源于军事威力或财富规模，而是来源于我们我们持久的信念力量。这些信念包括：民主、自由、机遇以及坚定不移的希望。

That's the true genius of America: that America can change.Our union can be perfected.What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.勇于变革，这才是真正的美国精神。我们的联邦制度可以完善。我们对未来能达而且必达的目标充满了希望。

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations.But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta.She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.这次大选创造了多项“第一”，诞生了许多留芳后世的故事。但今晚最令我难忘的却是一位在亚特兰大投票的妇女：安.尼尔森.库波尔。她和无数排队等候投票的选民没什么不同，唯一不同的是她106岁的高龄。

She was born just a generation past slavery;a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky;when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons--because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.在她出生的那个年代，奴隶制刚刚废除。那时路上没有汽车，天上没有飞机。当时像她这样的人由于两个原因不能投票——第一个原因她是女性，第二个原因是她的肤色。

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America--the heartache and the hope;the struggle and the progress;the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.今夜，她见证了一个世纪的美国让我感慨良多——有伤心有希望；有奋斗有进步。在那个我们还不怎么行的年代里，人民就抱定了美国式的信条：是的，我们行。

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot.Yes we can.在那个年代，妇女的声音被压制，她们的希望被剥夺。但她活到了现在，看到妇女们站起来了，可以发表意见了，有选举权了。是的，我们行。

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose.Yes we can。大萧条时期，经济跌入深谷，绝望笼罩大地。她见证了美国以新政、新的就业机会以及追求共同目标的崭新精神面貌战胜了恐慌。是的，我们行。

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved.Yes we can.二战时期，炸弹袭击我们的海港，全世界受到独裁专制的威胁，她见证了挺身而出伟大的一代美国人，他们捍卫了民主。是的，我们行。

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.她见证了蒙哥马利公交车事件、伯明翰暴动事件、塞尔玛血腥周末事件。亚特兰大的一位牧师告诉人们：“我们无往而不胜”。是的，我们行。

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America，39 through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.Yes we can.人类登上月球，柏林墙倒塌，我们靠科学和创造把世界连为一体。今年，在这次选举中，激动的她手指轻触电子屏幕，投下了自己的一票。她在美国生活了106年，其间有美好的时光，也有最黑暗的时刻，她知道美国该何去何从。是的，我们行。

America, we have come so far.We have seen so much.But there is so much more to do.So tonight, let us ask ourselves--if our children should live to see the next century;if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made美国啊，迄今为止，我们已见证良多，但前路依然漫长。为此，在今夜，让我们反问一下我们自己，如果我们的孩子能够活到下个世纪；如果我的女儿能有幸像安-尼克森-库珀尔那样长寿，他们将会看到些什么？我们将会取得怎样的进步？

This is our chance to answer that call.This is our moment.This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids;to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace;to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one;that while we breathe, we hope.And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.现在是我们来回答这一问题的时候了，这是我们的时刻，这是我们的时代。要使我们的人民重获工作并为我们的孩子大开方便之门；重现繁荣并促进和平；实现我们美国的梦想，就得重申一个基本准则，那就是：团结一致，众志成城；一息尚存，希望就在。当我们遭遇嘲讽和质疑时，当有人认为我们无所作为时。我们将用一句发自心中反映我们恒久信念的话做出回答：不，我们行！

Inauguration Speech: We must Pick Ourselves Up

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 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.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.42 For us, they fought and died, in places like 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 inpidual 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 the 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 cost.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.And 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.43 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--and that a 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 reac