My fellow Americans, I come before you tonight, at this important juncture in our nation's history, to share my vision with you, my vision of an America that we have talked about, debated, defended, and even dreamed about, but has not existed for some time ' to quote the Pledge of Allegiance, an America with liberty and justice for all.
I will be frank with you this evening, as I have tried to be throughout this grueling past year; I know that a great many Americans are troubled, and I know that my adversaries and enemies are calling for my resignation or impeachment with a fervor that is perhaps unmatched in our history. Not only do I not hide from these attacks, I welcome them; not only is the right to criticize our leaders something that many Americans have fought and died for, it is the sign of a healthy democracy. So, I would like to take this opportunity to address the concerns, the charges, and the questions that are on the minds of the American people tonight.
I was born, as you may know, in Atlanta Georgia, the third child of a construction foreman and a nurse. When I was twelve my father was killed trying to save a neighbor from a burning house. It wasn't easy for my mother, working double shifts at the hospital, but she raised me and my brother and sister, and taught us to believe that in America; that if you worked hard enough and had faith, you could succeed. We moved to Ohio to be near her family, and I did work hard, and I studied hard, and I put myself through college, and was blessed with a scholarship to Harvard Medical School. After the terrorist attacks of 2001 I enlisted in the Army, where I became a field surgeon in Iraq. During this past campaign a lot of people have tried to cast me as a hero, but all I was doing was what my mother had taught me to do; to give something back, to serve this great country. I was just doing a job, like anyone else.
The election of 2004 had a profound effect on the men and women I served with. It became clear to me that the Democratic Party did not speak for all Americans, and neither did the Republican Party, so I vowed to work, as an Independent, to bring this country together, to help this great nation heal, and reach it's God-given potential. When I returned to Ohio I became involved in local politics in Columbus, where we lived, and finally ran for and was elected Governor.
Did I think that I had a chance to become the President of the United States of America? Did I think that a working-class kid from the poor side of Atlanta could, without the aid of either the Democratic or Republican machinery, be elected the leader of the greatest nation on the face of the earth? Did I think that something that many, many people told me was impossible could ever come to pass?
Yes. Yes I did. Because that was how I was raised. I knew I could not do it alone, and that I would need not only the help of a great many folks in government, but more importantly, the people of America; the citizens, the voters, the heart and muscle and soul of this country.
I ran an unusual campaign. So-called experts said that I couldn't possibly survive without special interest and soft money. I was told that my campaign ads, which featured not my face but the faces of the volunteers for my campaign could never stand up against the high-priced negative ads of my opponents. My choice of a running mate who was not only an African American but also a woman, was described as political suicide. My Straight Talk campaign was called 'simplistic' and 'naive'. And, as you know, I was elected by seventy-three percent of the popular vote, an almost numerical impossibility in a three-party race. America spoke, and the message was that this country wants change, true change.
My fellow Americans, tonight I am going to do something historic ' I am going to tell you the unvarnished truth. I will not evade or talk down to you, I will not hide behind slogans or euphemisms. I believe, contrary to the opinions of politicians down through the years, that the American people can handle the truth.
During my campaign I said that I supported the NRA, and that the right to bear arms ' any type of arms ' was the God-given right of any American and should not be legislated in any way. When I signed an executive order outlawing automatic weapons except for law enforcement agencies, and tougher legislation for gun purchases and ownership, the NRA began the most expensive smear campaign ever initiated against a standing president. The Christian right did the same thing when, after speaking out against gay marriage, I signed into law, in my first one hundred days, the right of any two Americans to wed. In fact, my critics have said that I reversed my position on almost every controversial issue that had been a part of my campaign.
What do I say to those who feel that I broke campaign promises and reversed controversial positions?
Get over it.
Get over it.
Grow up, for God's sake.
When, in the history of this great country, has an election ever been about anything other than winning? Never, my friends. The running of a cruel, divisive, duplicitous campaign has become an American art form. Every year we sink to new lows, as we, the public, accept less and less from our electoral process. We do not ask questions, and we do not demand clarity or competence. We act like naive schoolgirls the morning after the prom, heartbroken and unable to believe that we were lied to and used. America, it is time to wise up, and grow up, and that is why I believe that God has given me this great opportunity.
I believe, in my heart, that I know what is best for the majority of American citizens. I also believe in my heart that I could never have been elected on a platform based on those beliefs. Elections are like bar brawls ' the winner is seldom the smartest or most capable or honest, it is the one who can remain standing by any means available. I am still standing, and, against all odds, I am also the person best equipped to do what is best for this country. And what is my motivation?
My love for America. My love for this great country is what makes this election different, what makes me, as a president different. I did not mislead the country for my own profit or power, or to feed my ego or pay back favors, quite the opposite. I did this at great personal peril, because it is, I believe, what is best for the United States of America.
Did I lie, did I misstate and mislead? Yes I did, and I did so to the best of my ability for the greater good of the United States of America. And in that great American tradition, I won. With your help, I am the winner of this contest, to the greater glory of this great country.
My enemies, those who lie for profit and not for each and every American, they are counting on the likelihood that I will be finished politically, that I will be thrown out of office. I think they are wrong. I think that they are afraid of change, that they are afraid of losing control and losing their obscene fortunes, they are afraid that they will no longer be able to dupe the public and take food from the mouths of its children.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe in the American people. I believe that the American people will not only understand and forgive what I have done, but will embrace this opportunity for change and work with me. I also believe that those who do not want what is best for our people are, as we speak, finding ways to eliminate me. My fellow Americans, don't think that it will be as messy and obvious as political assassinations in the past. It will look like an aneurysm, a heart attack, or an allergic reaction to a bee sting. That is why yesterday I had a complete and thorough medical examination, and the results are posted on my website. I am in perfect health, so if anything happens to me you will know that the shadow government, those who will profit most by maintaining the status quo have succeeded in crushing this country's best hope for growth and change. However, I am confidant that this will not happen, as I am broadcasting this message to you from a high security bunker in an unknown location. I will lead this great country free from interference or influence, because that is what you have elected me to do.
Friends, who many time did we, as children, not understand the things our parents did for our benefit? How many times have we, as adults, looked back on rules and boundaries that pained us as children, and recognized that they were imposed for our own good?
My fellow Americans, I lied to you.
For your own good.
Because I love you.
And now, I will never lie to you again.
Good night, and God bless America.

Want to comment on this Short Stories? Sign up to Edit Red and you will be able to comment on Short Stories and get access to: Upload your own stories and poems, get readers and their feedback, promote your work...