Pages

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

When Greatness Speaks

Condoleezza Rice just left the stage and left the entire convention on a high. What a great speech. What a great speaker. A woman with humble grace, intellectual greatness, and personal convictions. How refreshing to finally, after four years, hear someone with the capacity for greatness highlight hard truths and hopeful promises.

From the transcript available on Drudge:
After all, when the world looks to America, they look to us because we are the most successful political and economic experiment in human history. That is the true basis of “American Exceptionalism.” The essence of America – that which really unites us -- is not ethnicity, or nationality or religion – it is an idea -- and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things. That it doesn’t matter where you came from but where you are going.

Ours has never been a narrative of grievance and entitlement. We have not believed that I am doing poorly because you are doing well. We have not been envious of one another and jealous of each other’s success. Ours has been a belief in opportunity and a constant battle – long and hard -- to extend the benefits of the American dream to all – without regard to circumstances of birth.

But the American ideal is indeed endangered today. There is no country, no not even a rising China, that can do more harm to us than we can do to ourselves if we fail to accomplish the tasks before us here at home.

No comments:

Post a Comment