Bill Clinton

“ For over 200 years, this Nation has worked to realize the vision of freedom articulated by our founders, and before them by thinkers throughout the ages. Our commitment to the eternally-unfolding meaning and spirit of liberty expresses not only our most cherished values, but also our best hope for long-term international stability. ”

“ But great numbers of men and women are still not free. Authoritarianism still wields an iron grip over the lives of millions. And in this new time we are confronted by the alarming specter of racial, ethnic, and religious animosities and violence. It is thus all the more reason for us to recommit ourselves to the work of promoting respect for universal human rights and for political freedom for people of all races, creeds, and nationalities the world over. ”

“ Freedom has made great strides in recent years, thanks to the quiet heroism of countless men and women. Yet far too many members of the human family still live in the shadows, shackled and intimidated in regimes of fear, and we must keep faith with them. ”