同胞們：
我今天站在這裡，深感面前使命的重大，深謝你們賦予的信任，並銘記我們前輩所付的代價。我感謝布希總統對國家的貢獻以及他在整個過渡階段給予的大度合作。
至此，有四十四個美國人發出總統誓言。這些字詞曾在蒸蒸日上的繁榮時期和寧靜安詳的和平年代誦讀。但是間或，它們也響徹在陰雲密佈、風暴降臨的時刻。美國能夠歷經這些時刻而勇往直前，不僅因為當政者具有才幹或遠見，而且也因為「我們人民」始終堅信我們先輩的理想，對我們的建國理念忠貞不渝。
這是過來之路。這是這一代美國的必由之路。
我們處於危機之中，這一點已得到充分認識。我國在進行戰爭，打擊分布廣泛的暴力和仇恨勢力。我們的經濟嚴重衰弱，部分歸咎於一些人的貪婪不軌，同時也因為我們作為一個整體，未能痛下決心，讓國家作好面對新時代的準備。如今，住房不再，就業減少，商業破產。醫療保健費用過度昂貴；學校質量沒有保障；而每一天都在不斷顯示，我們使用能源的方式在助長敵人的威風，威脅我們的星球。
這些是危機的跡象，數據統計將予以證明。不易於衡量然而同樣嚴重的是全國各地受動搖的信心——一種揮之不去的恐懼感，認為美國將不可避免地走下坡路，下一代人不得不放低眼光。
今天，我告訴大家，我們面臨的挑戰真實存在，並且嚴重而多重。它們不可能在一個短時間內被輕易征服。但是，美國，請記住這句話——它們將被征服。
我們今天聚集在這裡是因為我們選擇希望而不是恐懼，選擇齊心協力而不是衝突對立。
我們今天在這裡宣告，讓斤斤計較與虛假承諾就此結束，讓窒息我國政治為時太久的相互指責和陳詞濫調就此完結。
我們仍是一個年輕的國家，但用聖經的話說，現在是拋棄幼稚的時侯了。現在應是我們讓永恆的精神發揚光大的時侯，應是選擇創造更佳歷史業績的時侯，應是將代代相傳的寶貴財富、崇高理想向前發展的時侯：上帝賦予所有人平等、所有人自由和所有人充分追求幸福的機會。
在重申我們國家偉大精神的同時，我們懂得，偉大從非天生，而是必須贏得。我們的歷程從來不是走捷徑或退而求其次的歷程。它不是弱者的道路——它不屬於好逸惡勞或只圖名利享受的人；這條路屬於冒險者，實幹家，創造者——有些人享有盛名，但大多數是默默無聞耕耘勞作的男女志士，是他們帶我們走向通往繁榮和自由的漫長崎嶇之路。
為了我們，他們打點起貧寒的行裝上路，遠涉重洋，追求新生活。
為了我們，他們在血汗工廠勞作，在西部原野拓荒，忍著鞭笞之痛在堅硬的土地上耕耘。
為了我們，他們奔赴疆場，英勇捐軀，長眠於康科德、葛底斯堡、諾曼底和溪山。
為了我們能夠過上更好的生活，他們前仆後繼，歷盡艱辛，全力奉獻，不辭勞苦，直至雙手結起層層老繭。他們看到的美國超越了我們每一個人的雄心壯志，也超越了所有種族、財富或派系的差異。
今天，作為後來者，我們踏上了這一未竟的旅程。我們依然是地球上最繁榮、最強大的國家。我們的勞動者的創造力並沒有因為眼前的這場危機而減弱。我們的頭腦依然像以往那樣善於發明創新。我們的產品與服務仍舊像上星期、上個月或去年一樣受人歡迎。我們的能力絲毫無損。但是，維持現狀、保護狹隘的利益集團、推遲困難的抉擇的時代無疑已成為過去。從今天起，我們必須振作起來，掃除我們身上的塵土，重新開啟再造美國的事業。
無論我們把目光投向何處，都有工作在等待著我們。經濟形勢要求我們果敢而迅速地行動，我們將不辱使命——不僅要創造新的就業機會，而且要打下新的增長基礎。我們將建造道路和橋樑，架設電網，鋪設承載我們的商務和把我們緊密相連的電子通訊網路。我們將恢復尊重科學的傳統，利用高新技術的超常潛力提高醫療保健質量並降低成本。我們將利用太陽能、風力和地熱為車輛和工廠提供能源。我們將改造我們的中小學和高等院校，以應對新時代的挑戰。這一切我們都能做到。這一切我們必將做到。
現在，有人懷疑我們的雄心壯志——他們說我們的體制不能承受太多的宏偉規劃。他們的記憶是短暫的，因為他們忘記了這個國家已經取得的成就，忘記了一旦共同的目標插上理想的翅膀、現實的要求鼓起勇氣的風帆，自由的人民就會爆發出無窮的創造力。
那些冷眼旁觀的人沒有認識到他們腳下的大地已經移動——那些長期以來空耗我們的精力的陳腐政治觀點已經過時。我們今天提出的問題不是我們的政府太大還是太小，而是它是否行之有效——它是否能夠幫助人們找到報酬合理的就業機會，是否能夠為他們提供費用適度的醫療保健服務，是否能夠確保他們在退休後不失尊嚴。如果回答是肯定的，我們就要向前推進。如果回答是否定的，計畫和項目必須終止。作為公共資金的管理者，我們必須承擔責任——明智地使用資金，拋棄壞習慣，在陽光下履行職責——因為只有這樣我們才能恢復人民對政府的至關重要的信任。
我們提出的問題也不在於市場力量是替天行道還是為虎作倀。市場在生成財富和傳播自由方面具有無與倫比的力量，但這場危機提醒我們：沒有嚴格的監督，市場就會失控——如果一個國家僅僅施惠於富裕者，其富裕便不能持久。我們的經濟成功從來不是僅僅依賴國內總產值的規模，而是還依賴繁榮的普及，即為每一位願意致富的人提供機會的能力——不是通過施舍——因為這才是最可靠的共同富裕之路。
至於我們的共同防禦，我們決不接受安全與理念不可兩全的荒謬論點。建國先賢面對我們難以想見的險惡局面，起草了一部保障法治和人權的憲章，一部子孫後代以自己的鮮血使之更加完美的憲章。今天，這些理念仍然照耀著世界，我們不會為一時之利而棄之。因此，對於今天正在觀看此情此景的其他各國人民和政府──從最繁華的首都到我父親出生的小村莊──我們希望他們瞭解：凡追求和平與尊嚴的國家以及每一位男人、婦女和兒童，美國是你們的朋友。我們已經做好準備，再一次走在前面。
回顧過去，幾代人在戰勝法西斯主義和共產主義時依靠的不僅僅是導彈和坦克，更是牢固的聯盟和不渝的信念。他們懂得單憑實力無法保護我們的安全，實力也並不賦予我們隨心所欲的權利。相反，他們知道審慎使用實力會使我們更強大；我們的安全源於事業的正義性、典範的感召力、以及謙卑和克制的平衡作用。
我們是這一傳統的繼承者。我們只要從新以這些原則為指導，就能應對那些新威脅，為此必須付出更大的努力──推動國家間更多的合作與理解。我們將開始以負責任的方式把伊拉克移交給伊拉克人民，並在阿富汗鞏固來之不易的和平。我們將與多年的朋友和昔日的對手一道不懈地努力，減輕核威脅，扭轉全球變暖的厄運。我們不會在價值觀念上退縮，也不會動搖捍衛它的決心，對於那些妄圖以煽動恐怖和屠殺無辜的手段達到其目的的人，我們現在就告訴你們，我們的意志更加頑強、堅不可摧；你們無法拖垮我們，我們必將戰勝你們。
因為我們知道，我們百衲而成的傳統是一種優勢，而不是劣勢。我們是一個由基督教徒和穆斯林、猶太教徒和印度教徒、以及無宗教信仰者組成的國家。我們受惠於地球上四面八方每一種語言和文化的影響。由於我們飲過南北戰爭和種族隔離的苦水，走出了那個黑暗時代並變得更加堅強和團結，我們不能不相信昔日的仇恨終有一天會成為過去；部族之間的界線很快會消失；隨著世界變得越來越小，我們共同的人性將得到彰顯；美國必須為迎來一個和平的新紀元發揮自己的作用。
面對穆斯林世界，我們尋求一條新的前進道路，以共同利益和相互尊重為基礎。對於世界上那些妄圖製造矛盾、將自己社會的弊端歸罪於西方的領導人，我們奉勸你們：你們的人民將以你們的建設成就而不是你們的毀滅能力來評判你們。對於那些依靠腐敗、欺騙、壓制不同意見等手段固守權勢的人，我們提醒你們：你們站在了歷史錯誤的一邊；但只要你們放棄壓迫，我們將伸手相助。
對於貧困國家的人民，我們保證同你們併肩努力，為你們的農田帶來豐收，讓清潔的用水取之不竭；使飢餓的身體得以飽食，使飢渴的心靈受到滋潤。對於那些像我們一樣比較富裕的國家，我們要說我們再不能對他人的苦難無動於衷，也再不能肆意消耗世界的資源。世界已經改變，我們必須與時俱進。
在思索我們面前的道路時，我們懷著崇敬的心情感謝此刻正在偏遠的沙漠和山區巡邏的英勇無畏的美國人。他們向我們述說著什麼，正如在阿靈頓(Arlington)公墓長眠的陣亡英雄在漫漫歲月中低淺的吟誦。我們崇敬他們，不僅因為他們捍衛著我們的自由，而且因為他們代表著獻身精神，體現了超越個人，尋求遠大理想的意願。然而，在這個時刻，這個具有劃時代意義的時刻，我們大家必須具備的正是這種精神。
雖然政府能有許多作為也必須有許多作為，但最終離不開美國人民的信仰和決心，這便是我國的立國之本。正是因為人們在大堤崩裂時接納陌生人的關愛之情，正是因為工人們寧願減少自己的工時而不願看到朋友失去工作的無私精神，才使我們度過了最暗淡的時光。正是因為消防隊員們有勇氣衝進濃煙滾滾的樓道，也正是因為做父母的希望培養一個孩子，我們才能決定最後的命運。
我們面臨的挑戰可能前所未聞。我們迎接挑戰的方式也可能前所未有。然而，我們賴以成功的價值觀──誠實和勤奮、勇氣和公平、寬容心和探索精神、忠誠和愛國──均由來以久。這些價值觀都是千真萬確的。這些價值觀是我國整個歷史過程中一股無聲的進步力量。現在需要的便是重歸這些真理。我們現在需要做的是開創負責任的新時代──每一位美國人都需要認識到我們對自己、對國家、對全世界都承擔著義務。對於這些義務，我們並非勉強接受，而是心甘情願主動承擔，同時堅信我們為艱鉅的使命付出一切，沒有任何事可以如此滿足我們的道義感，也沒有任何事能如此體現我們的特性。
這就是公民的義務和承諾。
這就是我們自信的來源──認識到上帝呼喚我們在前途不明的情況下掌握自己的命運。
這就是我們的自由和我們堅守的信條具有的意義──說明瞭為什麼各種族、各類信仰的男女老少能在這個雄偉的大草坪上歡聚一堂，也說明瞭為什麼今天有人能站在這裡進行最莊嚴的宣誓，但不到60年前他父親在當地餐館還不能受到接待。
為此，讓我們記住這一天，記住我們是什麼樣的人，記住我們已經走過了多長的路。在美利堅誕生的年月，在那些最寒冷的日子裡，為數不多的愛國者聚集在一條冰河的岸邊，身旁的篝火即將熄滅。首都已經撤防。敵人正在進軍。雪地沾滿了斑斑血跡。在我們的革命何去何從，結局最難以估計的時刻，我國的開國元勛決定向人民宣讀以下這段話：
"讓我們昭告未來的世界......在這個酷寒的冬季，萬物蕭蘇，只有希望和美德堅忍不拔......這個城市和這個國家，受到共同危難的召喚，挺身而出，奮起迎戰。"
美利堅，在我們面臨共同危難之際，在我們遇到艱難險阻的冬日，讓我們牢記這些永恆的話語。心懷希望和美德，讓我們再一次不懼嚴寒，勇為中流砥柱，不論什麼風暴來襲，我們必將堅不可摧。今後，讓我們的後代子孫如此評說：我們在遇到考驗的時候沒有半途而廢，沒有退縮不前，也沒有絲毫動搖；讓我們全神貫注，高瞻遠矚，感謝上帝對我們的恩典，繼承自由這個寶貴的傳統，平穩地世代相傳。
謝謝大家!
上帝保佑你們!
上帝保佑美國!
REMARKS OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
Inaugural Address
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, 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 short-cuts 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 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 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 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.
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 reach of our prosperity; on our 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 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 that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with 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 will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will 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 non-believers. 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 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 today, 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 - hard work and honesty, 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 sixty 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 with 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!
God bless America!
