one American family， to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

That s why I stand here tonight. Because for two hundred and thirty two years， at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy， ordinary men and women students and soldiers， farmers and teachers， nurses and janitors found the courage to keep it alive.

We meet at one of those defining moments a moment when our nation is at war， our economy is in turmoil， and the American promise has been threatened once more.

Tonight， more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can t afford to drive， credit card bills you can t afford to pay， and tuition that s beyond your reach.

These challenges are not all of government s making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.

America， we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.

This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio， on the brink of retirement， finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.

This country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he s worked on for twenty years and watch it shipped off to China， and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.

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