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How many of you know the 16 words
in President Bush's State of the Union
address that led us to war?
How many know my wife's name?
- Valerie Plame.
- Valerie Plame.
Now, how can you know one
and not the other?
When did the question move
from "Why are we going to war?"
To "Who is this man's wife?"
I asked the first question,
but somebody else asked the second.
And it worked.
Because none of us know the truth.
The offense that was committed
was not committed against me,
it was not committed against my wife.
It was committed against you.
All of you.
Now, if that makes you angry
or feel misrepresented,
do something about it.
When Benjamin Franklin
left Independence Hall
just after the second drafting,
he was approached by a woman
on the street.
The woman said, "Mr. Franklin,
"what manner of government
have you bequeathed us?"
And Franklin said, "A Republic, madam.
"If you can keep it. "
The responsibility of a country
is not in the hands of a privileged few.
We are strong, and we are free from tyranny
as long as each one of us
remembers his or her duty as a citizen.
Whether it's to report a pothole
at the top of your street
or lies in a State of the Union address,
speak out! Ask those questions.
Demand that truth.
Democracy is not a free ride, man.
I'm here to tell you.
But, this is where we live.
And if we do our job,
this is where our children will live.
God bless America.