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Actual toast (mp3 audio) Welcome to all of you. It’s a pleasure for me, on behalf of the American people, to host you today for this celebration of the 229th anniversary of American independence.
We gather today not just in celebration, but also in gratitude. Individually and as a nation, we have so many blessings to count.
And I feel especially blessed this year. I think you know why. She is standing here beside me. I am grateful to have Mariasun here with me to share this moment and to be with all of you today.
We thank our families for their love and support. We are thankful for our freedom. And we thank the Mexican people for their friendship with the United States.
When the Declaration of Independence was signed, America was a raw and ragged young nation: it perched on the edge of a vast continent and few would have bet on its survival. But it did. And what began as a hopeful idea among nations has now spread to many countries throughout the world. The call of human freedom is powerful and has sustained America since its inception. Today in a world moving towards liberty—in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East—people are choosing and defending freedom.
But freedom comes at a price and today as we celebrate, the fight to expand freedom in our world is waged at heartbreaking cost. We recognize and honor the sacrifices of those engaged in this noble effort. As President Bush recently reminded us, “The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.”
The United States of America and our friend, Mexico, are united in our common desire to see all of our citizens enjoy the fruits of independence, democracy and liberty. We welcome the benefits and the struggles that come with freedom and the pursuit of happiness.
Please join me in raising your glass in a toast to the United States of America, to Mexico, and to the friendship that binds us.
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