James Clyburn, SC-06
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 06:05 PM Tonight we celebrate what has been popularly called our nation’s Greatest Generation. People like my wife’s uncle, Joseph Henry Washington, who survived Pearl Harbor serving aboard the U.S.S. Arizona. People like Barack Obama’s grandfather, who signed up just after Pearl Harbor was bombed. This moniker, the Greatest Generation, is well-deserved because all who served during World War II contributed greatly to the prosperity of this nation. Many paid the ultimate price. Those at home supported the effort any way they could. Veterans returned to attend college, raise families and helped create the middle class. Everyone played a role in our nation’s security. It is what made our nation great. Today, a new generation faces a different reality. This generation lives in a time when threats no longer come from nations with borders, but range from terrorist groups to the rising tide of global warming. The uncertainty of these threats creates an opportunity for those who would exploit them for political gain. And that’s what we’ve seen, whether it’s an expansion of the president’s powers, or, when they dared to speak truth to power, the personal destruction of noble veterans like John Kerry and Max Cleland. That approach must be relegated to the past. Real national security is not bought with arsenals of weapons, miles of chain-link fences or endless tirades of shallow, tough talking. Real national security begins with the heart and soul of every American. It is earned by dismantling the fortress of mistrust and deceit which has been constructed by this administration. Barack Obama recognizes that like the Greatest Generation, we all have roles to play in our nation’s security. He recognizes that even those who don’t wear a uniform have the opportunity to serve. Around the globe, our leadership is needed. Al-Qaida is still recruiting, and the hunt for Bin Laden continues. Instability plagues the former Soviet Union, tensions persist in the Middle East, and genocide ravages Sudan. In this world, in this time, we can’t afford more of the same. Barack Obama’s approach to foreign affairs does not consist of might making right, but using right to buttress our might. He is the leader America needs in these difficult times. We need visionary leadership that will make this and future generations even greater. Barack Obama inspires all Americans to come together and move America in a new direction. The Greatest Generation was selfless, and they will tell you that they did not seek to hold
that title forever. Greater is possible. Now is the time. We are the people, and Barack Obama is the candidate for the people and these times.