Excerpts below from IA Gov. Tom Vilsack's presidential announcement, given this morning at Iowa Wesleyan College.
Presidential problems:
"We have a president whose first reflex is to divide and conquer... who preys on insecurities and fears for partisan gain... who has tried to rob us of the very asset that has made the United States the greatest country on earth: Our sense of community, optimism, and can-do spirit."
On homeland security:
"We are less safe and less secure than we were 6 years ago. Our country needs bold leadership guided by the right values and the right experience."
A confident underdog:
"I have always been the underdog and long shot. And I have always been inspired by stories of ordinary people who struggled, but ultimately succeeded."
Family values:
I began life in an orphanage in the arms of a stranger. I was adopted into a loving but troubled home. During my early years, my mother battled alcohol and prescription drug addiction. My parents separated. I watched as my father balanced being a single parent while trying to keep his business alive. We struggled and adapted to a declining standard of living. I know what it is to feel alone and forgotten... as if you do not belong... My parents got back together... they taught me never to give up on people, family or community."
Prized accomplishments in Iowa:
"In the past eight years, Iowa successfully changed farm fields into energy fields. We changed the traditional idea of agriculture and became the national leader in renewable fuel and energy production. As a state, we became more economically, enviornmentlaly and energy secure. If you drive around Iowa today, you will see a changing landscape marked by new ethanol and biofuel production plants and wind farms."
Keeping the faith:
"Let us fight for an education system that helps every child become as inquisitive and creative as God intended them to be. If we are to compete in a tough, global economy, Americans must remain the most innovative people on earth."
