Originally Posted by Barack Obama

"My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it."

Now that is a clear message.

Edit: Couldn't help but add this one...

Originally Posted by 44 Year old Michelle Obama.. adult since 1982

for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction.

I guess the Clinton years weren't left enough for her.

Originally Posted by cbwm

Now that is a clear message.

Well at least it's not as bad as Bush:

• "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
• "There's no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail"
• "Rarely is the question asked: is our children learning?"
• "It's a time of sorrow and sadness when we lose a loss of life"

There's some really clear messages....

Clear as mud! The obvious difference being Obama "meant what he said and said what he meant". Funny that Horton was an elephant.

"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

I think Bush got confused for a minute and thought he was singing for The Who?

I think it's clear what Obama actually meant by that remark - he thinks that America is a great nation and that the people are good but that there needs to be radical change in many aspects of life to further improve the country

Originally Posted by whym

I think it's clear what Obama actually meant by that remark - he thinks that America is a great nation and that the people are good but that there needs to be radical change in many aspects of life to further improve the country

I 100%, absolutely, completely, and without question agree with your assessment.

lol - surely they have people who check this sort of stuff before they read it out?

Being #1 means you're better than the other children, but it doesn't mean there's no room left for improvement.

But the real question is are we truly #1? What, pray tell, makes us better than Sweden, Denmark, et cetera? It's not quality of life, it's certainly not the economy or crime rate. A lot of the Scandinavian countries are better places for people to live than the United States in every measurable way. Other than a bunch of people saying it over and over, what makes America the best?

So what changed in the last week to make her so proud?

BTW, Education at the University level I believe is a good #1 item for the U.S.. Thats just from the cuff.

Originally Posted by cbwm

BTW, Education at the University level I believe is a good #1 item for the U.S..

In terms of the tuition price at least. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy living here and can't really see myself settling down in many other places. But there are like 15 (out of about 200) other countries that are objectively as good as we are by any measure I can think of applying. I'm curious how people justify this notion that we're forever #1?

Forever is a mighty long time. Look at world markets react to uncertainty in the U.S. economy, and I think you will find the answer to who is the #1 economy in the world. #1 in terms of university tuition? I was referring to preferred universities to attend. I'd be surprised if the U.S. was the cheapest as well.

How bout this one. #1 most efficient military for its size.