Par Stephane Bigeard |
Hier soir, à 18 heures-heure française, Barack Obama a prêté serment, devenant ainsi le 44e président des Etats-Unis d'Amérique.
Il y a quelques jours, il expliquait dans une lettre ouverte à ses filles (publiée dans le magazine populaire Parade) que c'était pour elles, et pour tous les autres enfants, qu'il avait voulu être élu...
Retrouvez quelques passages (en français !) de cette lettre.... ainsi que la version originale....
"Chère Malia et Sacha,
Je sais que vous vous êtes bien amusées ces deux dernières années pendant la campagne présidentielle, allant de déjeuners en parades, mangeant toute sorte de nourriture que votre maman et moi ne vous aurions pas laissé manger habituellement.
Mais je sais aussi que ça n'a pas toujours été facile pour vous et maman. [...]
Je sais ce que je vous ai manqué, pendant ces deux années et aujourd'hui je veux vous expliquer un peu plus pourquoi j'ai décidé d'emmener notre famille dans ce périple.
Lorsque j'étais un jeune homme, je pensais que le monde tournait autour de moi[...]
Et puis vous êtes arrivées dans ma vie, avec toute votre curiosité, votre espièglerie et ces sourires qui ne manquent jamais de remplir mon cœur et d'éclairer mes journées.
J'ai réalisé que ma propre vie ne compterait pas pour grand chose à moins que je ne sois capable de vous assurer toutes les chances de bonheur.
Le plus important, c'était votre bonheur.(...)
C'est pour ça que j'ai voulu devenir Président, pour faire votre bonheur et celui de tous les enfants de cette nation.
Je souhaite que tous les enfants aillent à l'école. [...]
Je veux qu'ils aient la chance d'aller au collège, même si les parents sont pauvres. Et je veux qu'ils aient un bon travail.[...]
...que nous repoussions nos propres frontières humaines, pour passer au-delà des divisions de race et de région, de sexe et de religion qui nous empêchent de voir ce qu'il y a de mieux chez chacun.
Telles sont les choses que je souhaite pour ce monde.
Je veux que vous grandissiez, qu'il n'y ait aucune limite à vos rêves et aucun obstacle pour que vous les réalisiez.
Et je veux que tous les enfants aient la même chance de grandir, d'apprendre, et d'être heureux, comme vous les filles.
Voilà pourquoi j'ai mené notre famille dans cette magnifique aventure.
Je suis si fier de vous.
Je vous aime plus que vous ne pouvez l'imaginer.
Et je suis reconnaissant chaque jour de votre patience, de votre grâce, de votre aide pour commencer ensemble notre nouvelle vie à la Maison Blanche.
Love DAD.
I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart.
I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.
When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me-about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want.
But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day.
And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore.
I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours.
And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours.
In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.
I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren't rich.
And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.
I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer.
And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.
Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe.
And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.
That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.
She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better-and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.
I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had.
Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation.
But because you have an obligation to yourself.
Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.
These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world.
And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have.
I am so proud of both of you.
I love you more than you can ever know.
And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.
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