Speech of Amb. Nigro on Feb. 19

Thank you for joining us this afternoon to celebrate our national day, on the occasion of the U.S. holiday that honors our country’s presidents.  A word of explanation as to why I chose to mark Presidents Day in such a fashion this year.   First, in November of 2008, the American people voted in a general election – the highest expression of our constitutional system – to choose a new President, new Members of Congress, and many officials at state and local levels.  Second, the vote resulted for the first time in our history in the selection as President of a man of color, Barack Obama, whose family roots are African-American.  Third, on February 12, President Obama celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, considered by many to have been our greatest President.  The parallels between Mr. Obama, our 44^th President, and Mr. Lincoln, our 16^th, are intriguing:  both were lawyers from the state of Illinois; both were born in humble circumstances; both achieved influence as a result of continuous effort; both reached positions of power at times of national crisis; both hoped to launch programs of fundamental change for our country.

 

President Obama often speaks about the inspiration that President Lincoln’s principled approach to politics has offered to him personally.  Last week, Mr. Obama described his “particular gratitude for this uncommon man who made possible in so many ways my own history and the history of the United States.”  The resemblance between Presidents Lincoln and Obama is deeper than circumstantial coincidence.  Each of them represents aspects of the unity of our national purpose.  As a people, we are committed to our evolving democratic experience and its historical and constitutional roots.  Our optimism about the possibility of improving the human condition is tempered by realism about human foibles.  Our combination of optimism and realism undergirds our preference for rule by law, not rule by men.

As President Obama said of President Lincoln last week:  Lincoln never forgot, even in the midst of civil war, that despite what divided us – North from South, black from white – we were fundamentally one nation and one people, and as American were joined by ties that bind.  For Presidents Lincoln and Obama, change and development are ideas that have always been intertwined with unity and continuity.

What are the echoes of these themes for the relationship between the United States and Chad?  First, please let me thank, in the name of the American government, the enormous efforts of the Government of Chad to achieve recovery after the tragic events of last year.  I would also like to salute the people of Chad for their resilience, spirit of endurance and desire to rebuild, of which we have seen so much evidence in recent months.  We note with special appreciation the extraordinary good will that the people of Chad have shown toward Darfur and CAR refugees, whom they have welcomed and protected with great humanity and kindness.

The Government of the United States and the American people maintain close solidarity with the Government and people of Chad.  We want to accompany you as you make progress toward good governance, economic and social development, friendly relations with international partners and friends, and especially with neighbors.  We intend to pursue continued mutual collaboration with a view to reinforcing regional security and containing extremism in all forms.

I invite you to raise a glass to the Presidents of the United States and Chad, former and present, and to the continuation of good relations between our nations in all areas of importance to our peoples.

Thank you very much.