as not hatched in the halls of Washington it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation s apathy； who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep； from the not？so？young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers； from the millions of Americans who volunteered， and organized， and proved that more than two centuries later， a government of the people， by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory. I know you didn t do this just to win an election and I know you didn t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight， we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime two wars， a planet in peril， the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight， we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they ll make the mortgage， or pay their doctor s bills， or save enoug