Without further ado, my first post on Kos:
George W. Bush's Farewell Address, Annotated
Thank you. Fellow citizens, for eight years, it has been my honor to serve as your president.
The first decade of this new century has been a period of consequence, a time set apart.
Tonight, with a thankful heart, I have asked for a final opportunity to share some thoughts on the journey we have traveled together and the future of our nation.
The American people share your gratitude that this is your final message.
Five days from now, the world will witness the vitality of American democracy. In a tradition dating back to our founding, the presidency will pass to a successor chosen by you, the American people. Standing on the steps of the Capitol will be a man whose history reflects the enduring promise of our land.
This is a moment of hope and pride for our whole nation. And I join all Americans in offering best wishes to President-elect Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two beautiful girls.
All Americans? Would that include Mike Huckabee's campaign manager, who distributed copies of "Barack the Magic Negro"? Or, perhaps Sarah Palin, who implied Obama was a terrorist?
Tonight, I am filled with gratitude to Vice President Cheney and members of the administration; to Laura, who brought joy to this house and love to my life; to our wonderful daughters, Barbara and Jenna; to my parents, whose examples have provided strength for a lifetime.
And above all, I thank the American people for the trust you have given me. I thank you for the prayers that have lifted my spirits. And I thank you for the countless acts of courage, generosity and grace that I have witnessed these past eight years.
They had to come from somewhere.
This evening, my thoughts return to the first night I addressed you from this house, September 11, 2001. That morning, terrorists took nearly 3,000 lives in the worst attack on America since Pearl Harbor.
I remember standing in the rubble of the World Trade Center three days later, surrounded by rescuers who had been working around the clock.
The same workers who you lied to about the air quality at Ground Zero?
I remember talking to brave souls who charged through smoke-filled corridors at the Pentagon and to husbands and wives whose loved ones became heroes aboard Flight 93.
I remember Arlene Howard, who gave me her fallen son's police shield as a reminder of all that was lost. And I still carry his badge.
As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11. But I never did. Every morning, I received a briefing on the threats to our nation. And I vowed to do everything in my power to keep us safe.
As opposed to before 9/11, when you ignored briefings with titles like "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S."? And let's not forget Katrina.
Over the past seven years, a new Department of Homeland Security has been created. The military, the intelligence community and the FBI have been transformed.
Our military is so strained it'll take anyone. Our intelligence community spies on Americans with impunity.
Our nation is equipped with new tools to monitor the terrorists' movements, freeze their finances and break up their plots.
And yet, your "report card" for implementing the recommendations of the 911 Commisison was mostly D's and F's.
And with strong allies at our side, we have taken the fight to the terrorists and those who support them. Afghanistan has gone from a nation where the Taliban harbored al Qaeda and stoned women in the streets to a young democracy that is fighting terror and encouraging girls to go to school.
That's funny: the Chairman of your Joints Chief of Staff says Afghanistan is getting worse.
Iraq has gone from a brutal dictatorship and a sworn enemy of America to an Arab democracy at the heart of the Middle East and a friend of the United States.
Uh, sure, that's why Iraqis keep throwing shoes at Americans!
There is legitimate debate about many of these decisions, but there can be little debate about the results.
Actually, there's a lot of debate.
America has gone more than seven years without another terrorist attack on our soil.
Except for the Anthrax attacks.
This is a tribute to those who toil day and night to keep us safe -- law enforcement officers, intelligence analysts, homeland security and diplomatic personnel, and the men and women of the United States armed forces.
Our nation is blessed to have citizens who volunteer to defend us in this time of danger. I have cherished meeting these selfless patriots and their families. And America owes you a debt of gratitude.
By banning voter registration at veterans hospitals, or opposing educational benefits for veterans? And don't forget Walter Reed.
And to all our men and women in uniform listening tonight, there has been no higher honor than serving as your commander in chief.
Unfortunately, the feeling isn't mutual, with Bush's approval slipping 50% among military families.
The battles waged by our troops are part of a broader struggle between two dramatically different systems. Under one, a small band of fanatics demands total obedience to an oppressive ideology, condemns women to subservience and marks unbelievers for murder.
That would be the team of administration cabinet leaders that met secretly in the White House basement to authorize torture.
The other system is based on the conviction that freedom is the universal gift of Almighty God and that liberty and justice light the path to peace.
This is the belief that gave birth to our nation.
You know, the system we used to have before the Bush administration took office!
And in the long run, advancing this belief is the only practical way to protect our citizens.
When people live in freedom, they do not willingly choose leaders who pursue campaigns of terror. When people have hope in the future, they will not cede their lives to violence and extremism.
For example, threatening to kill Barack Obama?
So around the world, America is promoting human liberty, human rights and human dignity.
Sure we are, just check out the Abu Ghraib "dignity" photos!
We are standing with dissidents and young democracies, providing AIDS medicine to bring dying patients back to life,
While at the same time, opposing the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS
and sparing mothers and babies from malaria. And this great republic, born alone in liberty, is leading the world toward a new age when freedom belongs to all nations.
Actually, in 2008, 34 countries registered declines in freedom in 2008. Global Internet censorship is rising. . We're not leading in freedom of the press, where the United States ranks 36th. Christians can't live safely in Iraq anymore.
For eight years, we have also strived to expand opportunity and hope here at home.
Would that be nearly 4 million lost manufacturing jobs during your administration?
Across our country, students are rising to meet higher standards in public schools.
No they're not. Reading First is a miserable failure.
A new Medicare prescription drug benefit is bringing peace of mind to seniors and the disabled.
It cost taxpayers $534 billion dollars, and the average cost of a prescription doubled. Unless you're one of the 46 million Americans who don't have health care or peace of mind.
Every taxpayer pays lower income taxes.
Especially the wealthy, and big corporations. Which is probably why we're $10 trillion in debt.
The addicted and suffering are finding new hope through faith- based programs.
Really? Even David Kuo thinks they were a failure.
Vulnerable human life is better protected.
With the USA ranking 29th in infant mortality, just behind Cuba, and the second worst newborn death rate in the modern world? Not to mention your vetoing healthcare for sick children.
Funding for our veterans has nearly doubled.
In spite of your veto threats.
America's air, water and lands are measurably cleaner.
How can we believe you, when you've been caught trying to censor the facts about climate change?
And the federal bench includes wise new members, like Justice Sam Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts.
When challenges to our prosperity emerged, we rose to meet them. Facing the prospect of a financial collapse, we took decisive measures to safeguard our economy.
Like crashing the DOW by 40%? Or, a $900 billion decline in GDP?
These are very tough times for hardworking families, but the toll would be far worse if we had not acted.
Actually, you didn't act soon enough.
All Americans are in this together. And together, with determination and hard work, we will restore our economy to the path of growth. We will show the world once again the resilience of America's free enterprise system.
Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks and there are things I would do differently, if given the chance.
Yet, I've always acted with the best interests of our country in mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right. You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made, but I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions.
Oh, they've been tough all right!
The decades ahead will bring more hard choices for our country, and there are some guiding principles that should shape our course.
While our nation is safer than it was seven years ago, the gravest threat to our people remains another terrorist attack. Our enemies are patient and determined to strike again.
America did nothing to seek or deserve this conflict.
But we have been given solemn responsibilities, and we must meet them. We must resist complacency. We must keep our resolve. And we must never let down our guard.
At the same time, we just continue to engage the world with confidence and clear purpose. In the face of threats from abroad, it can be tempting to seek comfort by turning inward. But we must reject isolationism and its companion, protectionism.
Retreating behind our borders would only invite danger. In the 21st century, security and prosperity at home depend on the expansion of liberty abroad. If America does not lead the cause of freedom, that cause will not be led.
Then what's all this talk about a the "constitution-free zone" around the border of the United States?
As we address these challenges, and others we cannot foresee tonight, America must maintain our moral clarity.
"Maintain"? Don't you mean "regain"?
I have often spoken to you about good and evil, and this has made some uncomfortable. But good and evil are present in this world and between the two, there can be no compromise. Murdering the innocent to advance an ideology is wrong every time, everywhere.
Even the murders of Mr. Dilawar and Mr. Habibullah?
Freeing people from oppression and despair is eternally right. This nation must continue to speak out for justice and truth. We must always be willing to act in their defense and to advance the cause of peace.
President Thomas Jefferson once wrote, "I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past." As I leave the house he occupied two centuries ago, I share that optimism.
America is a young country, full of vitality, constantly growing and renewing itself. And even in the toughest times, we lift our eyes to the broad horizon ahead.
I have confidence in the promise of America because I know the character of our people. This is a nation that inspires immigrants to risk everything for the dream of freedom.
This is a nation where citizens show calm in times of danger and compassion in the face of suffering. We see examples of America's character all around us, and Laura and I have invited some of them to join us in the White House this evening.
We see America's character in Dr. Tony Recasner, a principal who opened a new charter school from the ruins of Hurricane Katrina. We see it in Julio Medina, a former inmate who leads a faith-based program to help prisoners returning to society. We see it in Staff Sgt. Aubrey McDade, who charged into an ambush in Iraq and rescued three of his fellow Marines.
We see America's character in Bill Krissoff, a surgeon from California. His son Nathan, a Marine, gave his life in Iraq. When I met Dr. Krissoff and his family, he delivered some surprising news. He told me he wanted to join the Navy Medical Corps in honor of his son.
This good man was 60 years old, 18 years above the age limit. But his petition for a waiver was granted, and for the past year he has trained in battlefield medicine.
Lt. Cmdr. Krissoff could not be here tonight, because he will soon deploy to Iraq, where he will help save America's wounded warriors and uphold the legacy of his fallen son,
In citizens like these, we see the best of our country, resilient and hopeful, caring and strong. These virtues give me an unshakable faith in America. We have faced danger and trial, and there is more ahead.
With thanks to you, Mr. President.
But with the courage of our people and confidence in our ideals, this great nation will never tire, never falter and never fail.
It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve as your president. There have been good days and tough days. But every day, I have been inspired by the greatness of our country and uplifted by the goodness of our people.
I have been blessed to represent this nation we love. And I will always be honored to carry a title that means more to me than any other -- citizen of the United States of America.
And, clearly, that was part of your problem. God calls us to be citizens of the world, as well as citizens of our own nation.
And so, my fellow Americans, for the final time, good night.
WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
May God bless this house and our next president.
It would be a novel change of pace, wouldn't it?
And may God bless you and our wonderful country.
And all the rest of the world. Amen.