Indeed, one of the lessons of our effort in Iraq is that American influence around the world is not a function of military force alone. We must use all elements of our power — including our diplomacy, our economic strength, and the power of America’s example — to secure our interests and stand by our allies. And we must project a vision of the future that’s based not just on our fears, but also on our hopes — a vision that recognizes the real dangers that exist around the world, but also the limitless possibilities of our time.

確實，我們從在伊拉克行動中吸取的教訓(xùn)之一是，美國在全世界的影響并不僅僅局限于軍事力量的作用，我們必須使用我國實力的各個方面 —— 包括我們的外交、我們的經(jīng)濟力量和美國的榜樣力量 —— 保障我國的利益，支持我們的盟友。我們對于未來提出的設(shè)想不能只出于我們的憂慮，而且也需要考慮到我們的希望 —— 這個設(shè)想需要既認(rèn)識到全世界確實存在的危險，同時也看到我們這個時代能提供無窮的機會。

Today, old adversaries are at peace, and emerging democracies are potential partners. New markets for our goods stretch from Asia to the Americas. A new push for peace in the Middle East will begin here tomorrow. Billions of young people want to move beyond the shackles of poverty and conflict. As the leader of the free world, America will do more than just defeat on the battlefield those who offer hatred and destruction — we will also lead among those who are willing to work together to expand freedom and opportunity for all people.

今天，以往的對手和平相處，新興的民主政體成為潛在的伙伴。我國商品的新市場遍布從亞洲到美洲的廣大地區(qū)，推進(jìn)中東和平的新一輪努力明天將在這里開始。億萬年輕人冀望著擺脫貧困和沖突的枷鎖。作為自由世界的領(lǐng)袖，美國將不僅在戰(zhàn)場上戰(zhàn)勝那些傳播仇恨和毀滅的敗類，——我們還將帶領(lǐng)那些愿意與我們共同努力的人們，把自由和機會擴展到全人類。

Now, that effort must begin within our own borders. Throughout our history, America has been willing to bear the burden of promoting liberty and human dignity overseas, understanding its links to our own liberty and security. But we have also understood that our nation’s strength and influence abroad must be firmly anchored in our prosperity at home. And the bedrock of that prosperity must be a growing middle class.

現(xiàn)在，我們必須在我們國內(nèi)開始這種努力，縱觀我國歷史，美國一貫愿意承擔(dān)在全世界增進(jìn)自由和人類尊嚴(yán)的重任，并認(rèn)識到這與我們自身的自由和安全息息相關(guān)。但我們也了解，我國在國外的力量和影響必須牢固地建立在國內(nèi)繁榮的基礎(chǔ)上，而繁榮的基石必須是日益興盛的中產(chǎn)階級。

Unfortunately, over the last decade, we’ve not done what’s necessary to shore up the foundations of our own prosperity. We spent a trillion dollars at war, often financed by borrowing from overseas. This, in turn, has short-changed investments in our own people, and contributed to record deficits. For too long, we have put off tough decisions on everything from our manufacturing base to our energy policy to education reform. As a result, too many middle-class families find themselves working harder for less, while our nation’s long-term competitiveness is put at risk.

令人遺憾的是，過去10年來，我們沒有采取必要的措施加強我們自身繁榮的基礎(chǔ)。我們在戰(zhàn)事上開支了萬億美元，往往通過從海外借貸。因此，這也減少了對我們本國人民的投資，并導(dǎo)致創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄的赤字。長期以來，我們拖延了對一系列問題的艱難決策，從我國的制造業(yè)基地到我國的能源政策，乃至教育改革等等。結(jié)果，大量中產(chǎn)階級家庭工作更辛苦，報酬卻在減少，同時我國的長期競爭力面臨危險。