I don't want to jump the gun, [but] I will tell you, though, that my goal is to have the best possible government. Barack Obama More Quotes by Barack Obama More Quotes From Barack Obama A political consultant, when we first started thinking about Senate race, said, "You can have one funny name. You can be 'Barack Smith.' Or you can be 'Joe Obama.' But 'Barack Obama' - that's not gonna work." Barack Obama political thinking I think you need to have people around you who can remind you that, actually, what you just said makes no sense. Fortunately, I have my wife to do that continually. Barack Obama wife people thinking There is not a black America and a white America; a Latino America, an Asian America. There is the United States of America. Barack Obama latino black What I want to communicate is the fact that in all my travels throughout the Muslim world, what I've come to understand is that regardless of your faith - and America is a country of Muslims, Jews, Christians, non-believers - regardless of your faith, people all have certain common hopes and common dreams. Barack Obama christian dream country My job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives. My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. But if you look at the track record America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that. And that I think is going to be an important task. Barack Obama mistake children thinking Thanksgiving reminds us that no matter our differences, we're still one people, part of something bigger than ourselves. Barack Obama differences matter people Our alliance with our NATO partners has been a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy for nearly 70 years, in good times and in bad and through presidents of both parties because the United States has a fundamental interest in Europe's stability and security. Barack Obama party europe years Climate change is one of the issues I worry most about because its impacts are enormous. But they're gradual, they're not immediate. Barack Obama impact issues worry I've always wanted to come to Greece. Barack Obama greece wanted Being attentive to inequality and not tone deaf to it. But offering prescriptions that are actually going to help folks in communities that feel forgotten. That's going to be our most important strategy. And I think we can successfully do that. Barack Obama community offering thinking This is where I think policies do need to be somewhat race-specific, is making sure that institutions are not discriminatory. So you've got something like the FHA [Federal Housing Administration], which was on its face a universal program that involved a huge mechanism for wealth accumulation and people entering into the middle class. Barack Obama race class thinking If you want to right-size executive power relative to the other branches of government, the best way to do that is to have a healthy Congress in which the two parties are debating, disagreeing, but also occasionally working together to pass legislation. Barack Obama party government two You don't know how it would have turned out if [kids] would grown up in Chicago instead, and a more normal environment. Barack Obama normal chicago kids Even when you go up ramp, and you think about [Franklin D. Roosevelt] wheeling himself up, you know, got a little cigarette holder in his mouth, and it, that, that awe that you feel, that reverence that you feel for the place never entirely leaves. Barack Obama mouths littles thinking We cannot solve the problems of America if every time somebody somewhere says something stupid, that everybody gets up in arms and we forget about the war in Iraq or we forget about the economy. Barack Obama problem stupid war We shouldn't assume that government is always trying to do the wrong thing. Barack Obama always-trying assuming government We've got to make sure that our economy is strong at home so that we can project military power overseas. Barack Obama strong military home This massacre in Orlando is therefore a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school or in a house of worship or a movie theater or in a nightclub. And we have to decide if that's the kind of country we want to be. And to actively do nothing is a decision, as well. Barack Obama country people school My greatest hope is to be able to pass the same dreams and hopes and vision that I've been able to enjoy in my life, on to the next generation. Not just for my children - because with a mother like Michelle, my kids are going to be great - but for all children. There are too many children in this country for whom the American dream is so distant and the odds against them are so daunting. Barack Obama mother dream country We should never hesitate to use military force, and I will not, as president, in order to keep the American people safe. But we have to use our military wisely. And we did not use our military wisely in Iraq. Barack Obama military president people
