From President George W. Bush's Second Inaugural Address.
The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it."
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From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave.
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When our Founders declared a new order of the ages; when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty; when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now" - they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.
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Other voices were heard yesterday, too. From a communiqué purportedly issued by Al Qaeda executioner, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi:
Fighters who have taken the path of jihad have to realize the nature and the demands of the battle toward the required goal...This group has to be patient in the path that it has taken and ... not to hurry victory. The promise of God will be fulfilled no matter what.
But back to Washington. People concerned by the overt religiosity and Crusade-like tones in political discourse would probably find offensive this bit of Presidential rhetoric:
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace — a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen
And yes, I'm cheating here again. This passage was actually delivered by Franklin Delano Roosevelt on June 6, 1944, the day of the Allied invasion of Normandy and the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe.
(thanks to Lane Core)
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