Friday, February 11, 2011

Obama Speech Transcript

Speaking on the stepping-down of Hosni Mubarak earlier today, President Obama gave a speech today about the situation in Egypt.  In the speech, which began at 3:05pm, the President showed support for the actions of democracy-supporting protesters.  Here are some lines of the President's speech.  Once the full transcript is released, Pundit Press will have it:

"Egypt will never be the same..."
"There will be difficult days ahead..."
"The people of Egypt can find the answers..."
"Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day..."
"The United States will continue to be a friend and partner of Egypt..."
"Above all, we saw a new generation emerge..."
"This is the power of human dignity..."
"Egyptians have inspired us..."
"The entire world has taken note..."
"The American people are moved by these scenes in Cairo..."
Egyptians have "changed the world."
President Obama
Update:  Here is a rough transcript of the entire speech:

There are very few moments in our lives where we have the privilege to witness history taking place this is one of those moments this is one of those times. the people of Egypt have spoken their voices have been heard and Egypt will never be the same. by stepping down, President Mubarak responded to the Egyptian peoples hunger for change. But this is not the end of the transition, its the beginning. I’m sure there will be many difficult days ahead and many questions remain unanswered. But I am confident that the people of Egypt can find the answers, and do so peacefully, constructively and in the spirit of unity that has defined these last few weeks. For Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day. 
The military has served patriotically and responsibly as a caretaker to the state and will now have to ensure a transition that is credible in the eyes of the Egyptian people. That means protecting the rights of Egypt;s citizens, lifting the emergency law, revising the constitution and other laws to make this change irreversible. And laying out a clear path to elections that are fair and free. Above all, this transition must bring all of Egypt’s voices to the table, with spirit of peaceful protest and perseverance that the Egyptian people have shown can serve as a powerful wind at the back of this change. 
The United States will continue to be a friend and partner to Egypt. We stand ready to provide whatever assistance is necessary and asked for to pursue a credible transition to a democracy. I’m also confident that the same ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit that the young people of Egypt have shown in recent days can be harnessed to create new opportunity, jobs, and businesses that allow the extraordinary potential of this generation to take flight. And I know that a democratic Egypt can advance its role of responsible leadership not only in the region but around the world. 
Egypt has played a pivotal role in human history for over 6,000 years, but over the last few weeks the wheel of history turned at a blinding pace, as Egyptian people demanded their universal rights. We saw mothers and fathers carrying their children on their shoulders to show them what true freedom what might look like. We saw a young Egyptian for the first time in my life I really count, my voice is heard. Even though I am only one person this is the way real democracy works. We heard protesters change Salmeai Salmeai we are peaceful again and again. 
We saw a military that would not fire bullets at the people they were sworn to protect. We saw doctors and nurses rushing into the streets to care for the people that were wounded. Volunteers checking protesters to make sure they were unarmed. We saw people of faith praying together and chanting – Muslims, Christians chanting “we are one.” And though we know the strains between faiths still divided too many in this world, no single event will close that chasm immediately. These scenes remind us that we need not be defined by our differences, we can be defined but the common humanity that we share. 
And above all, we saw a new generation emerge. A generation that uses their own creativity and talent and technology to call for a government that represented their hopes and not their fears. A government that is responsive to their boundless aspirations. One Egyptian put it simply “most people have discovered in the last few days that they are worth something. And that can not be taken away from them anymore. Ever. This is power of human dignity. And it can never be denied. Egyptians have inspired us and they’ve done so by putting the lie of the idea that justice is best gained through violence. For in Egypt, it was the moral force of nonviolence, not terrorism, not mindless killing, but nonviolence moral force that bent the arc of history to moral justice once more. 
And while all of the sights and sounds we heard were entirely Egyptian, we can’t help but hear the echoes of history. Echoes from Germans tearing down a wall, Indonesian students taking to the streets. Ghandi leading his people down the path of justice. As Martin Luther King said in celebrating the birth of a new nation in Ghana, while trying to perfect his own “There is something in the soul that cries out for freedom.” Those were the cries that came from Tarhir Square.

Thanks to Mediaite for supplying the transcript.

Here is the speech in its entirety:


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3 comments:

  1. glad to witness history taking place in Egypt

    ReplyDelete
  2. why does anyone care what he says anyway?

    ReplyDelete
  3. If the philosophers of the world since the dawn of history, sent in this historic moment for the Egyptian revolution, in order to recite the words for this event they said, that these words of U.S. President hero
    Is the finest words in the history of the world

    ReplyDelete