Barack Obama (clip)

I'm not talking about blind optimism here, the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't think about it, or healthcare crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it.

That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about something more substantial.

It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs.

The hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores.

The hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta.

The hope of a mill worker's son who dares to defy the odds.

The hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him too.

Hope in the face of difficulty.

Hope in the face of uncertainty.

The audacity of hope.

In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us.

The bedrock of this nation.

A belief in things not seen.

A belief that there are better days ahead.