Speech by Bill Bradley in Crystal City on September 8, 1999
"Today, I want to be as clear as that glass about who I am and why I am running for President of the United States.
I have come back to my hometown because for me, this is where the world of possibility and hope all began, a world I want to open for all Americans.
I believe America should be made whole, but I don't want to erase our differences. It's those differences that give us our uncommon energy and wonderful creativity. The beautiful paradox of America is this:
I still see an America of endless possibility. An America that is as generous as it is prosperous, that is as decent as it is strong. An America that is, as Abraham Lincoln said, "The last best hope of mankind."
We may be at the end of a millennium, at the end of two centuries of American history, but we still have it in our power, as Thomas Paine said, "To begin the world [all] over again."
The leadership that is called for at this moment goes beyond a presidency, and into every home and heart. The renewal of the American Dream has to shine so bright that we can dream dreams we never thought possible before.
I have confidence in this Dream because it is the theme of my life - because without a famous family name or great wealth, I was given the encouragement and love and the opportunity that enabled me to forge a path on my own.
I've never forgotten the people who were my support, many in this town to whom I will always be grateful. They were ordinary Americans who did extraordinary things for me.
Americans are like that - ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
They inspired me and gave me hope and confidence. And I want that hope, that encouragement, that sense of possibility to be a reality for everybody.
I want the American Dream for all of us - at last.
Ladies and gentlemen, it can happen.
Come with me.
Let us walk toward that dream together."
