[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 45, Number 2 (Monday, January 19, 2009)]
[Pages 79-82]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Farewell Address to the Nation

January 15, 2009

    Thank you. Fellow citizens: For 8 years, it has been my honor to 
serve as your President. The first decade of this new century has been a 
period of consequence, a time set apart. Tonight, with a thankful heart, 
I have asked for a final opportunity to share some thoughts on the 
journey that we have traveled together and the future of our Nation.
    Five days from now, the world will witness the vitality of American 
democracy. In a tradition dating back to our founding, the Presidency 
will pass to a successor chosen by you, the American people. Standing on 
the steps of the Capitol will be a man whose history reflects the 
enduring promise of our land. This is a moment of hope and pride for our 
whole Nation. And I join all Americans in offering best wishes to 
President-elect Obama, his wife Michelle, and their two beautiful girls.
    Tonight I am filled with gratitude to Vice President Cheney and 
members of my administration; to Laura, who brought joy to this house 
and love to my life; to our wonderful daughters, Barbara and Jenna; to 
my parents, whose examples have provided strength for a lifetime. And 
above all, I thank the American people for the trust you have given me. 
I thank you for the prayers that have lifted my spirits. And I thank you 
for the countless acts of courage, generosity, and grace that I have 
witnessed these past 8 years.
    This evening my thoughts return to the first night I addressed you 
from this house, September the 11th, 2001. That morning, terrorists took 
nearly 3,000 lives in the worst attack on America since Pearl Harbor. I 
remember standing in the rubble of the World Trade Center 3 days later, 
surrounded by rescuers who had been working around the clock. I remember 
talking to brave souls who charged through smoke-filled corridors at the 
Pentagon and to husbands and wives whose loved ones became heroes aboard 
Flight 93. I remember Arlene Howard, who gave me her fallen son's police 
shield as a reminder of all that was lost. And I still carry his badge.
    As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much 
as it had been before 9/11. But I never did. Every morning, I received a 
briefing on the threats to our Nation. I vowed to do everything in my 
power to keep us safe.

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    Over the past 7 years, a new Department of Homeland Security has 
been created. The military, the intelligence community, and the FBI have 
been transformed. Our Nation is equipped with new tools to monitor the 
terrorists' movements, freeze their finances, and break up their plots. 
And with strong allies at our side, we have taken the fight to the 
terrorists and those who support them. Afghanistan has gone from a 
nation where the Taliban harbored Al Qaida and stoned women in the 
streets to a young democracy that is fighting terror and encouraging 
girls to go to school. Iraq has gone from a brutal dictatorship and a 
sworn enemy of America to an Arab democracy at the heart of the Middle 
East and a friend of the United States.
    There is legitimate debate about many of these decisions, but there 
can be little debate about the results. America has gone more than 7 
years without another terrorist attack on our soil. This is a tribute to 
those who toil night and day to keep us safe: law enforcement officers, 
intelligence analysts, homeland security and diplomatic personnel, and 
the men and women of the United States Armed Forces.
    Our Nation is blessed to have citizens who volunteer to defend us in 
this time of danger. I have cherished meeting these selfless patriots 
and their families. And America owes you a debt of gratitude. And to all 
our men and women in uniform listening tonight: There has been no higher 
honor than serving as your Commander in Chief.
    The battles waged by our troops are part of a broader struggle 
between two dramatically different systems. Under one, a small band of 
fanatics demands total obedience to an oppressive ideology, condemns 
women to subservience, and marks unbelievers for murder. The other 
system is based on the conviction that freedom is the universal gift of 
Almighty God, and that liberty and justice light the path to peace.
    This is the belief that gave birth to our Nation. And in the long 
run, advancing this belief is the only practical way to protect our 
citizens. When people live in freedom, they do not willingly choose 
leaders who pursue campaigns of terror. When people have hope in the 
future, they will not cede their lives to violence and extremism. So 
around the world, America is promoting human liberty, human rights, and 
human dignity. We're standing with dissidents and young democracies, 
providing AIDS medicine to dying patients--to bring dying patients back 
to life, and sparing mothers and babies from malaria. And this great 
republic, born alone in liberty, is leading the world toward a new age 
when freedom belongs to all nations.
    For 8 years, we've also strived to expand opportunity and hope here 
at home. Across our country, students are rising to meet higher 
standards in public schools. A new Medicare prescription drug benefit is 
bringing peace of mind to seniors and the disabled. Every taxpayer pays 
lower income taxes. The addicted and suffering are finding new hope 
through faith-based programs. Vulnerable human life is better protected. 
Funding for our veterans has nearly doubled. America's air and water and 
lands are measurably cleaner. And the Federal bench includes wise new 
members like Justice Sam Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts.
    When challenges to our prosperity emerged, we rose to meet them. 
Facing the prospect of a financial collapse, we took decisive measures 
to safeguard our economy. These are very tough times for hard-working 
families. But the toll would be far worse if we had not acted. All 
Americans are in this together. And together, with determination and 
hard work, we will restore our economy to the path of growth. We will 
show the world once again the resilience of America's free enterprise 
system.
    Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced 
setbacks. And there are things I would do differently if given the 
chance. Yet I've always acted with the best interests of our country in 
mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right. 
You may not agree with some of the tough decisions I have made, but I 
hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions.
    The decades ahead will bring more hard choices for our country, and 
there are some guiding principles that shape--should shape our course.
    While our Nation is safer than it was 7 years ago, the gravest 
threat to our people

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remains another terrorist attack. Our enemies are patient and determined 
to strike again. America did nothing to seek or deserve this conflict. 
But we have been given solemn responsibilities, and we must meet them. 
We must resist complacency. We must keep our resolve. And we must never 
let down our guard.
    At the same time, we must continue to engage the world with 
confidence and clear purpose. In the face of threats from abroad, it can 
be tempting to seek comfort by turning inward. But we must reject 
isolationism and its companion, protectionism. Retreating behind our 
borders would only invite danger. In the 21st century, security and 
prosperity at home depend on the expansion of liberty abroad. If America 
does not lead the cause of freedom, that cause will not be led.
    As we address these challenges and others we cannot foresee tonight, 
America must maintain our moral clarity. I've often spoken to you about 
good and evil, and this has made some uncomfortable. But good and evil 
are present in this world, and between the two there can be no 
compromise. Murdering the innocent to advance an ideology is wrong every 
time, everywhere. Freeing people from oppression and despair is 
eternally right. This Nation must continue to speak out for justice and 
truth. We must always be willing to act in their defense and to advance 
the cause of peace.
    President Thomas Jefferson once wrote: ``I like the dreams of the 
future better than the history of the past.'' As I leave the house he 
occupied two centuries ago, I share that optimism. America is a young 
country, full of vitality, constantly growing and renewing itself. And 
even in the toughest times, we lift our eyes to the broad horizon ahead.
    I have confidence in the promise of America because I know the 
character of our people. This is a nation that inspires immigrants to 
risk everything for the dream of freedom. This is a nation where 
citizens show calm in times of danger and compassion in the face of 
suffering. We see examples of America's character all around us. And 
Laura and I have invited some of them to join us in the White House this 
evening.
    We see America's character in Dr. Tony Recasner, a principal who 
opened a new charter school from the ruins of Hurricane Katrina. We see 
it in Julio Medina, a former inmate who leads a faith-based program to 
help prisoners returning to society. We see it in Staff Sergeant Aubrey 
McDade, who charged into an ambush in Iraq and rescued three of his 
fellow marines.
    We see America's character in Bill Krissoff, a surgeon from 
California. His son Nathan, a marine, gave his life in Iraq. When I met 
Dr. Krissoff and his family, he delivered some surprising news. He told 
me he wanted to join the Navy Medical Corps in honor of his son. This 
good man was 60 years old, 18 years above the age limit. But his 
petition for a waiver was granted, and for the past year he has trained 
in battlefield medicine. Lieutenant Commander Krissoff could not be here 
tonight because he will soon deploy to Iraq, where he will help save 
America's wounded warriors and uphold the legacy of his fallen son.
    In citizens like these, we see the best of our country, resilient 
and hopeful, caring and strong. These virtues give me an unshakable 
faith in America. We have faced danger and trial, and there's more 
ahead. But with the courage of our people and confidence in our ideals, 
this great Nation will never tire, never falter, and never fail.
    It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve as your President. 
There have been good days and tough days. But every day I have been 
inspired by the greatness of our country and uplifted by the goodness of 
our people. I have been blessed to represent this Nation we love. And I 
will always be honored to carry a title that means more to me than any 
other, citizen of the United States of America.
    And so, my fellow Americans, for the final time, good night. May God 
bless this house and our next President, and may God bless you and our 
wonderful country. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 8:01 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Malia and Natasha ``Sasha'' Obama, 
daughters of President-elect Barack Obama; Arlene Howard, mother of Port 
Authority Police officer George Howard, who was killed at the World 
Trade Center on September 11, 2001; Dr. Anthony ``Tony'' Recasner, 
principal, Samuel J. Green Charter School, New Orleans, LA; and

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Julio Medina, executive director, Exodus Transitional Community, New 
York, NY. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of this address.