第四十四届美国总统巴拉克·奥巴马就职演讲稿

本周二，巴拉克·奥巴马宣誓就职第四十四届美国总统——历史上第一位非洲裔美国总统。以下为纽约时报提供的奥巴马就职演讲稿。



PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you.

CROWD: Obama! Obama! Obama! Obama!

My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.

I thank President Bush for his service to our nation...

(APPLAUSE)

... as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.

MR. OBAMA: The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity 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 forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

MR. OBAMA: 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 far-reaching 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, jobs 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.

MR. OBAMA: 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 America's decline is inevitable, 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.

(APPLAUSE)

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

MR. OBAMA: On this day, we come 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 come to set aside childish things. The time has come 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 God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

(APPLAUSE)

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.

MR. OBAMA: It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.

Rather, it has been the risk-takers, 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.

MR. OBAMA: For us, they fought and died in places 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 individual 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. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed.

MR. OBAMA: Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

(APPLAUSE)

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.

The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.

We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.

We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality...

(APPLAUSE)

... and lower its costs.

MR. OBAMA: We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.

All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply.

MR. MR. OBAMA: The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.

Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.

And those of us who manage the public's knowledge will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched.

MR. OBAMA: But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.

The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

(APPLAUSE)

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.

Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.

MR. OBAMA: Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.

And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

(APPLAUSE)

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.

MR. OBAMA: They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We'll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan.

MR. OBAMA: With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet.

We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense.

And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."

(APPLAUSE)

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.

We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.

And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

OBAMA: To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.

To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.

To those...

(APPLAUSE)

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

(APPLAUSE)

MR. OBAMA: To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.

And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.

We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.

OBAMA: And yet, at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.

It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.

It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old.

MR. OBAMA: These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.

What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

MR. OBAMA: This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

(APPLAUSE)

So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled.

In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by nine campfires on the shores of an icy river.

MR. OBAMA: The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood.

At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you.

(APPLAUSE)

And God bless the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)

原文链接：http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20text-obama.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
more...

民意测验显示：总统就职仪式临近，奥巴马支持率增高

新闻聚焦
• 民意测验表明84%的人认可奥巴马在过渡时期的方针策略
• 调查显示公众认为此次总统就职仪式会有利于将美国人民团结在一起
• 调查发现公众对奥巴马的总统就职演说怀有相当高的期望
• 几乎所有受访的非洲裔美国人都表示将通过电视观看总统就职仪式

华盛顿（CNN）--随着美国总统就职仪式的临近，一项全国性的民意调查表明新当选的美国总统巴拉克.奥巴马的支持率已经达到有史以来的最高点。尽管奥巴马在就职前期的这段时间里并非一帆风顺，但这并没有影响美国民众对这位新总统的支持。

由CNN与美国观点调查公司(Opinion Research Corp.)在周日联合发布的这份调查报告显示，大多数美国人认为奥巴马的总统就职仪式有利于将美国人民团结在一起。

84%的受访者认可奥巴马在新旧总统过渡时期的方针策略。这个数字高于12月中旬的调查结果两个百分点，高于12月初期5个百分点。

在过去的几周里，奥巴马同样也经历了诸多不顺：受到联邦最高陪审团的调查，新墨西哥州州长Bill Richardson宣布退出奥巴马任命的商务部长一职；新任财政部长Timothy Geithner被揭露逃税34，000美元；由于任命Leon Panetta为中央情报局局长，奥巴马遭到了共和党甚至一部分民主党在内的强烈反对。即使经历了这样一系列搓败，公众对奥巴马的支持率依旧持续上升。

“如果公众认为应当由奥巴马承担这些错误的责任，奥巴马的支持率便不会增高，”CNN民意调查主管Keating Holland说道，“当你发现十分之六的共和党都对身为民主党的奥巴马持有正面观点时，你知道这意味着整个国家正处在一种和谐的蜜月期中。

民意测验显示十分之六的美国人认为奥巴马的就职仪式将是一场民主胜利的庆典，而在八年前乔治.布什就职总统时，仅有十分之四的美国人有同样的感觉。

Holland说道，受访民众认为奥巴马的就职仪式是将整个国家凝聚在一起的一个大好时机，而并非是一场政治胜利的庆典。

被访问的民众中，39%的人认为本次总统就职仪式只是一场奥巴马的支持者们欢庆胜利的庆典，这要比2001年布什就职演说时的调查结果低33%。

“在公众看来，布什的两次总统就职仪式都只是他的支持者们的庆典，”Holland说。

民意测验显示，68%的受访者为奥巴马即将成为新一届美国总统而感到“激动或者高兴”，而在四年前布什总统的第二次就职仪式前，只有50%的人有同样的感觉，比本次调查结果低了18个百分点。

公众对本周二奥巴马即将发表的就职演讲怀有很高的期望，85%的人预测这场演说将会非常出色或优秀，而在2001年，当时只有61%的人认为布什的第一次总统就职演说将会非常出色获优秀。

在本次调查中，十分之九的非洲裔美国人认为奥巴马的当选实现了他们的梦想，十分之六的人表示他们对即将到来的总统就职仪式感到兴奋不已。而在白人受访者中，则仅有四分之一的人有同样的感受。

几乎每一个受访的非洲裔美国人都表示，他们或她们将会通过电视观看周二的这场盛典。而白人方面，有57%受访者表示他们会通过电视收看奥巴马的总统就职仪式。几乎所有的非洲裔美国人都认为奥巴马成功应对了总统过渡时期的各项事务。

“不过受访的黑人也同样表达了他们对奥巴马未来总统生涯的一点担心，”Holland说,“他们大多认为，由于奥巴马的黑人身份，美国公众将会用一种比往届总统更为苛刻的标准来评判他。然而大多数白人则认为奥巴马的肤色并不会影响到人们对他的看法。”

从1月12日到1月15日，CNN联合美国观点调查公司(Opinion Research Corp.)通过电话对1，245名成年美国人进行了问卷调查，这其中包括798名白人与332名非洲裔美国人。调查的整体回覆采样误差率为正负3%，按照种族划分的调查采样误差率为正负5.5%。

原文链接：http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/18/poll.obama.rating/index.html

more...

苹果笔记本电脑的革命之作--无键盘操作

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard
more...