Today I am proud, for the first time in so many years, to be an American.
Today, I am proud of my country. That I live in a nation that has the capacity to acknowledge its past, to heal its sins, to move forward together.
I am proud that these United States are likely to elect a black man, this extraordinary man, Barack Obama, to its highest office. A man who speaks to the very best of who we are. Who truly unites rather than divides us. Who pulls all of us together to support each other. All of us -- black and white, rich and poor. Latino, Asian, Native American. Every one of us. Who encourages us to be the very best we are. To know the truth of who we are.
Today, I am hopeful that this speech will be viewed far and wide, in every village and hamlet across every continent. This is the truth of our nation. This is the reason people still look to us, are still transfixed by the ideal of America. That we are not limited by the sins of our fathers. Nor by the class to which we were born. That we are a people who, together and individually, have the creativity and freedom to invent ourselves, and renew ourselves, again and again.