Len's blogg

Bush said he has begun to think about an outline for the book.

"I want people to know what it was like to make some of the decisions I had to make," he said. "In other words, what was the moment like? And I've had one of those presidencies where I've had to make some tough calls, and I want people to know the truth about what it was like sitting in the Oval Office."
 

Citat: CNN.com
Bildkälla: Wikipedia

Jag har, som tidigare skrivit, valt att inte gå på en enda föreläsning som återstår under den här kursen. Orsaken är att jag helt enkelt har för mycket att göra i uppgifter och att jag föredrar självstudier. Några föreläsningar gör ont att hoppa över, men jag föredrar lugn och ro framför stress. Men spännande händelser står för dörren:

1. FN-utbildning den 17 november 09:00-16:00 på Scandic Hotel
2. Konfliktanalys om krigets Tjetjenien
3. USA:s säkerhetspolitiska historia
4. Böcker om grundläggande freds- och konfliktkunskap, krig och säkerhetspolitik

Det ser någorlunda bra ut. Sedan tillkommer ett kortare PM om vad som känneteckna modern hinduism och buddhism med fokus på sociala aspekter. Intressant.


Och sedan håller vi alla upp ögonen för eventuella nya namn i Obama-administrationen.

Det är alltid fruktansvärt intressant att titta i gamla kartonger med släktminnen; brev, fotografier och födelsebevis. Tack vare mormors födelsebevis har vi insett att vi har en stor amerikansk släkt vid namn Newcomb. Söker man på Newcomb får man fram väldigt intressanta data. Nu vet jag inte om Newcomb är ett släktnamn eller inte, men intressant är det. I jul kommer jag lägga mer tid på släkforskning. Jag älskar att gräva i gamla arkiv.

Dagen stavas religionsstudier!

Alldeles nyss fick jag en insikt. Det är sällan man får den typen av insikter som faktiskt får en att tänka extra och ändra kurs, men jag fick en sådan alldeles nyss. Har bestämt mig för att inte vara privat i den här bloggen, men just nu gör jag ett undantag.

I hela mitt liv har jag gått runt och tänkt på hur andra ser mig; försökt anpassa mig så jag i deras ögon blir precis så perfekt jag önskar. Jag har oroat mig för vad de tycker om mig som person, vad de tycker om mina yrkesval, vad de tycker om att jag inte är en traditionellt ung människa. Nu insåg jag att det är detsamma som att låta andra människor styra ditt liv. Människor brukar säga till mig att jag slänger bort min ungdom, men man kan fråga sig vem som slänger bort vilket liv? Jag har varje dag i snart 22 år lagt ner tid på att lägga upp mitt liv efter andra, men jag tror jag äntligen hittat min egen väg och jag tänker följa den.

En del säger att det är inte förrän man mister en del av sin trygghet som man vågar ta stora steg, och jag tror det är så. Det har givit mig det självförtroendet jag sålänge behövt. Jag lever inte ett liv som en klassisk ung människa lever, jag är inte heller intresserad av att leva det livet. Jag är fullt nöjd med mitt, till synes, medelåldersliv med rutiner och lugn och ro. Jag har aldrig jagat någon röd matta eller ser mig inte på häftiga resor. Jag gillar kultur, klassisk musik och tjocka böcker; jag gillar att diskutera politik, gå på museum och besöka små pittoreska städer i Provance och Italien. Jag föredrar lugna semestrar tillsammans med min pojkvän, än vad jag uppskattar charter. Jag föddes lillgammal och kommer alltid vara äldre än vad jag är; det är jag och det är bara att acceptera att så är fallet. Kanske är en av de äldsta 22 åringar som existerar, men det får så vara fallet.

Vi sätter upp de begränsningar vi vill sätta upp. Jag är klar med mina. Jag är klar med att klaga på det jag gör och inte se det som tillräckligt bra. Jag är klar med att grubbla och skapa ångest över händelser jag inte kan påverka. Och jag är klar med att låta andra människor skriva min dagordning. Jag tänker härmed se mig som den person jag vill vara. Det är jag, och enbart jag, som kan skapa mina möjligheter och det är ingen som tackar mig för att jag sopade dem under mattan. Vi har alla olika saker vi prioriterar och jag har mina; det är min familj, pojkvän, mina vänner, och min karriär.


Godnatt.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

PARTNERS IN THE JOURNEY

A little bit earlier this evening I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him, I congratulate Governor Palin, for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the vice-president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House.

And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure. To my sister Maya, my sister Auma, all my other brothers and sisters - thank you so much for all the support you have given me. I am grateful to them.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best political campaign in the history of the United States of America. My chief strategist David Axelrod, who has been a partner with me every step of the way, and to the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

VICTORY FOR THE PEOPLE

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was 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 $5 and $10 and $20 to the 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; it grew strength 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 organised, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

THE TASK AHEAD

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 enough for their child's college education. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

REMAKING THE NATION
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.

And above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for 221 years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

ONE NATION, ONE PEOPLE

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity.

Those are values that we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours: "We are not enemies, but friends... though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection."

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too.

AMERICA IN THE WORLD

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those who would tear the world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you.

And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

A HISTORY OF STRUGGLE

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the colour of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes, we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes, we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes, we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbour and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes, we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "we shall overcome". Yes, we can.

A man touched down on the Moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes, we can.

THIS IS OUR MOMENT

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: yes, we can.

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.


Källa: BBC