【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 ty 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 forebears, 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 farreaching 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。 s 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 america39。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 e 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 e to set aside childish things. the time has e 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 godgiven 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 risktakers, 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 inspanidual 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. ou