Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: Iowa Caucus NightDes Moines, IA | January 03, 2008Thank you, Iowa.You know, they said this day would never come.They said our sights were set too high好高骛远.They said this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose. But on this January night - at this defining moment in history - you have done what the cynics愤世嫉俗的人 said we couldnt do. You have done what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days. You have done what America can do in this New Year, 2008. In lines that stretched around schools and churches; in small towns and big cities; you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come. You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger thats consumed Washington; to end the political strategy thats been all about division and instead make it about addition - to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. Because thats how well win in November, and thats how well finally meet the challenges that we face as a nation. We are choosing hope over fear. Were choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America. You said the time has come to tell the lobbyists who think their money and their influence speak louder than our voices that they dont own this government, we do; and we are here to take it back. The time has come for a President who will be honest about the choices and the challenges we face; who will listen to you and learn from you even when we disagree; who wont just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know. And in New Hampshire, if you give me the same chance that Iowa did tonight, I will be that president for America. Thank you. Ill be a President who finally makes health care affordable and available to every single American the same way I expanded health care in Illinois - by-by bringing Democrats and Republicans together to get the job done. Ill be a President who ends the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas and put a middle-class tax cut into the pockets of the working Americans who deserve it. Ill be a President who harnesses the ingenuity of farmers and scientists and entrepreneurs to free this nation from the tyranny of oil once and for all. And Ill be a President who ends this war in Iraq and finally brings our troops home; who restores our moral standing; who understands that 9/11 is not a way to scare up votes, but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the twenty-first century; common threats of terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. Tonight, we are one step closer to that vision of America because of what you did here in Iowa. And so Id especially like to thank the organizers and the precinct captains; the volunteers and the staff who made this all possible. And while Im at it, on thank yous, I think it makes sense for me to thank the love of my life, the rock of the Obama family, the closer on the campaign trail; give it up for Michelle Obama.I know you didnt do this for me. You did this-you did this because you believed so deeply in the most American of ideas - that in the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it. I know this-I know this because while I may be standing here tonight, Ill never forget that my journey began on the streets of Chicago doing what so many of you have done for this campaign and all the campaigns here in Iowa - organizing, and working, and fighting to make peoples lives just a little bit better. I know how hard it is. It comes with little sleep, little pay, and a lot of sacrifice. There are days of disappointment, but sometimes, just sometimes, there are nights like this - a night-a night that, years from now, when weve made the changes we believe in; when more families can afford to see a doctor; when our children-when Malia and Sasha and your children-inherit a planet thats a little cleaner and safer; when the world sees America differently, and America sees itself as a nation less divided and more united; youll be able to look back with pride and say that this was the moment when it all began. This was the moment when the improbable beat what Washington always said was inevitable. This was the moment when we tore down barriers that have divided us for too long - when we rallied people of all parties and ages to a common cause; when we finally gave Americans whod never participated in politics a reason to stand up and to do so. This was the moment when we finally beat back the politics of fear, and doubt, and cynicism; the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up. This was the moment. Years