State of the Union

I did not have a chance to watch the speech last night (although I did tape it to watch later, and plan to read the whole transcript sometime today), but much of the news coverage today is about the emotional moment in the gallery near the end of the speech, when the mother of the fallen marine was embraced by the Iraqi woman, whose father had been killed by Saddam over a decade ago, and who was able to vote this past weekend in part due to the sacrifices of men and women like Sgt. Byron Norwood. It was one of the most emotional moments of the evening.

Unfortunately, the emotion, and the embrace, have overshadowed a truly poetic and masterful conclusion to the speech. In case it escaped you last night, here are the final three paragraphs of the president's address:

"In these four years, Americans have seen the unfolding of large events. We have known times of sorrow, and hours of uncertainty, and days of victory. In all this history, even when we have disagreed, we have seen threads of purpose that unite us. The attack on freedom in our world has reaffirmed our confidence in freedom's power to change the world. We are all part of a great venture: To extend the promise of freedom in our country, to renew the values that sustain our liberty, and to spread the peace that freedom brings.

"As Franklin Roosevelt once reminded Americans, "Each age is a dream that is dying, or one that is coming to birth." And we live in the country where the biggest dreams are born. The abolition of slavery was only a dream -- until it was fulfilled. The liberation of Europe from fascism was only a dream -- until it was achieved. The fall of imperial communism was only a dream -- until, one day, it was accomplished. Our generation has dreams of its own, and we also go forward with confidence. The road of Providence is uneven and unpredictable -- yet we know where it leads: It leads to freedom.

"Thank you, and may God bless America."