Mitt Romney

it a great honor to be in south_carolina __PUNCT__ where patriot is a passion that top even barbequ and footbal __PUNCT__

and it a great honor to be here at the citadel __PUNCT__

everi great univers and colleg produc futur engin __PUNCT__ doctor __PUNCT__ lawyer and entrepreneur __PUNCT__

here at the citadel __PUNCT__ you do all that but you have anoth specialti __PUNCT__ you produc hero __PUNCT__

over __NUM__ of your alumni have serv in iraq __PUNCT__ afghanistan __PUNCT__ and elsewher fight the war against terror __PUNCT__

and sixteen have paid the ultim price __PUNCT__

sinc __NUM__ everi tyrant __PUNCT__ petti thug or great_power that threaten america learn that if you want to take on america __PUNCT__ you were take on the citadel __PUNCT__

that a line of hero that never broken and never will be __PUNCT__

thi is a true citadel of american honor __PUNCT__ valu and courag __PUNCT__

the other dai i heard the presid sai that american had gone __PUNCT__ soft __PUNCT__ i guess he wasn't talk about how hard it is for million of american who ar try to get a job or stretch a too small paycheck through the week __PUNCT__

as each of you look beyond thi great institut __PUNCT__ to the life befor you __PUNCT__ i know you face mani difficult question in a world fraught with uncertainti __PUNCT__

america is in an econom_crisi the like of which we have never seen in our lifetim __PUNCT__

europ is struggl with the greatest econom crisi sinc the cold_war __PUNCT__ on that call into question the veri definit of the european_union __PUNCT__

around the world we see tremend upheav and chang __PUNCT__

our next presid will face extraordinari challeng that could alter the destini of america and __PUNCT__ inde __PUNCT__ the futur of freedom __PUNCT__

todai __PUNCT__ i want you to join me in look forward __PUNCT__

forward beyond that next recognit dai __PUNCT__ beyond ring weekend to four year from todai __PUNCT__ __DATE__ __PUNCT__ __NUM__ __PUNCT__

what kind of world will we be face __PUNCT__

will iran be a fulli activ nuclear_weapon state __PUNCT__ threaten it neighbor __PUNCT__ domin the world_oil suppli with a stranglehold on the strait of hormuz __PUNCT__ in the hand of the ayatollah __PUNCT__ a nuclear_iran is noth less than an existenti threat to israel __PUNCT__

iran suicid fanat could blackmail the world __PUNCT__

by __NUM__ will israel be even more isol by a hostil intern_commun __PUNCT__ will those who seek israel destruct feel embolden by american ambival __PUNCT__ will israel have been forc to fight yet anoth war to protect it citizen and it right to exist __PUNCT__

in afghanistan __PUNCT__ after the unit_state and nato have withdrawn all forc __PUNCT__ will the taliban find a path back to power __PUNCT__ after over a decad of american sacrific in treasur and blood __PUNCT__ will the countri sink back into the mediev terror of fundamentalist rule and the mullah again open a sanctuari for terrorist __PUNCT__

next door __PUNCT__ pakistan await the uncertain futur __PUNCT__ arm with more than __NUM__ nuclear_weapon __PUNCT__

the danger of a fail pakistan is difficult to overestim __PUNCT__ fraught with nightmar scenario __PUNCT__ will a nuclear weapon be in the hand of islam jihadist __PUNCT__

china ha made it clear that it intend to be a militari and econom superpow __PUNCT__

will her ruler lead their peopl to a new era of freedom and prosper or will thei go down a darker path __PUNCT__ intimid their neighbor __PUNCT__ brush asid an inferior american navi in the pacif __PUNCT__ and build a global allianc of authoritarian state __PUNCT__

russia is at a histor crossroad __PUNCT__

vladimir_putin ha call the breakup of the soviet_empir the great tragedi of the __NUM___centuri __PUNCT__

will he try to revers that tragedi and bludgeon the countri of the former soviet_union into submiss __PUNCT__ and intimid europ with the lever of it energi_resourc __PUNCT__

to our south __PUNCT__ will the malign social of hugo_chavez venezuela __PUNCT__ in tight allianc with the malign social of castro cuba __PUNCT__ undermin the prospect of democraci in a region thirst for freedom and stabil and prosper __PUNCT__

our border with mexico remain an open sore __PUNCT__

will drug_cartel domin the region adjoin the unit_state __PUNCT__ with greater and greater violenc spill over into our countri __PUNCT__ will we have fail to secur the border and to stem the tide of illeg_immigr __PUNCT__ and will drug_smuggler and terrorist increasingli make their wai into our midst __PUNCT__

thi would be a troubl and threaten world for america __PUNCT__

but it is not unrealist __PUNCT__

these ar onli some of the veri real danger that america_face __PUNCT__ if we continu with the feckless polici of the past three year __PUNCT__

but of cours __PUNCT__ it doesn't have to be thi wai __PUNCT__

thi isn't our destini __PUNCT__ it is a choic __PUNCT__

we ar a democraci __PUNCT__

you decid __PUNCT__

in thi campaign for presid __PUNCT__ i will offer a veri differ vision of america role in the world and of america destini __PUNCT__

our next presid will face mani difficult and complex foreign_polici polici_decis __PUNCT__

few will be black and white __PUNCT__

but i am here todai to tell you that i am guid by on overwhelm convict and passion __PUNCT__ thi centuri must be an american_centuri __PUNCT__

in an american centuri __PUNCT__ america ha the strongest economi and the strongest militari in the world __PUNCT__

in an american centuri __PUNCT__ america lead the free_world and the free world_lead the entir world __PUNCT__

god did not creat thi countri to be a nation of follow __PUNCT__

america is not destin to be on of sever equal balanc global_power __PUNCT__

america must lead the world __PUNCT__ or someon els will __PUNCT__

without american leadership __PUNCT__ without clariti of american purpos and resolv __PUNCT__ the world becom a far more danger place __PUNCT__ and liberti and prosper would sure be among the first casualti __PUNCT__

let me make thi veri clear __PUNCT__

as presid of the unit_state __PUNCT__ i will devot myself to an american_centuri __PUNCT__

and i will never __PUNCT__ ever apolog for america __PUNCT__

some mai ask __PUNCT__ why america __PUNCT__ why should america be ani differ than score of other countri around the globe __PUNCT__

i believ we ar an except countri with a uniqu destini and role in the world __PUNCT__

not except __PUNCT__ as the presid ha deris said __PUNCT__ in the wai that the british think great_britain is except or the greek think greec is except __PUNCT__

in barack_obama profoundli mistaken view __PUNCT__ there is noth uniqu about the unit_state __PUNCT__

but we ar except becaus we ar a nation_found on a preciou idea that wa birth in the american_revolut __PUNCT__ and propound by our greatest statesmen __PUNCT__ in our fundament document __PUNCT__

we ar a peopl who threw off the yoke of tyranni and establish a govern __PUNCT__ in abraham_lincoln word __PUNCT__ of the peopl __PUNCT__ by the peopl __PUNCT__ and for the peopl __PUNCT__

we ar a peopl who __PUNCT__ in the languag of our declar of independ __PUNCT__ hold certain truth to be self __PUNCT__ evid __PUNCT__ name __PUNCT__ that all men ar endow by their creator with certain unalien right __PUNCT__

it is our belief in the univers of these unalien right that lead us to our except role on the world_stage __PUNCT__ that of a great champion of human_digniti and human_freedom __PUNCT__

__PUNCT__

i wa born in __NUM__ a classic babi_boomer __PUNCT__

i grew up in a world form by on domin threat to america __PUNCT__ the soviet_union and commun __PUNCT__

the __PUNCT__ duck and cover __PUNCT__ drill we learn in school dure the cuban missil crisi result from a threat by a known __PUNCT__ identifi enemi __PUNCT__ with clear border and establish leader __PUNCT__

we need spy plane to find the hidden missil in cuba but we didn't need them to find nikita khrushchev __PUNCT__

presid_reagan could negoti with soviet premier mikhail_gorbachev and sign treati for which each side could be held_account __PUNCT__

and when we caught the soviet cheat __PUNCT__ we could bring the world attent to their transgress __PUNCT__

todai __PUNCT__ our world is far more chaotic __PUNCT__

we still face grave threat __PUNCT__ but thei come not from on countri __PUNCT__ or on group __PUNCT__ or on ideolog __PUNCT__

the world is unfortun not so defin __PUNCT__

what america and our alli ar face is a seri of threaten forc __PUNCT__ on that overlap and reinforc each other __PUNCT__

to defend_america __PUNCT__ and to secur a peac and prosper world __PUNCT__ we need to clearli understand these emerg threat __PUNCT__ grasp their complex __PUNCT__ and formul a strategi that deal with them befor thei explod into conflict __PUNCT__

it is far too easi for a presid to jump from crisi to crisi __PUNCT__ deal with on hot spot after anoth __PUNCT__

but to do so is to be shape by event rather than to shape event __PUNCT__

to avoid thi paralyz seduct of action rather than progress __PUNCT__ a presid must have a broad vision of the world coupl with clariti of purpos __PUNCT__

when i look around the world __PUNCT__ i see a hand of major forc that vie with america and free_nation __PUNCT__ to shape the world in an imag of their choos __PUNCT__

these ar not exclus militari_threat __PUNCT__

rather __PUNCT__ thei ar determin __PUNCT__ power_forc that mai threaten freedom __PUNCT__ prosper __PUNCT__ and america nation_interest __PUNCT__

__PUNCT__ first __PUNCT__ islam_fundament with which we have been at war sinc sept __PUNCT__ __NUM__ __PUNCT__

__PUNCT__ second __PUNCT__ the struggl in the greater middl_east between those who yearn for freedom __PUNCT__ and those who seek to crush it __PUNCT__

__PUNCT__ the danger and destabil rippl_effect of fail and fail_state __PUNCT__ from which terrorist mai find safe_haven __PUNCT__

__PUNCT__ the anti __PUNCT__ american vision of regim in iran __PUNCT__ north_korea __PUNCT__ venezuela __PUNCT__ and cuba __PUNCT__ two of which ar seek nuclear_weapon __PUNCT__

__PUNCT__ and these forc includ rise nation with hidden and emerg aspir __PUNCT__ like china __PUNCT__ determin to be a world superpow __PUNCT__ and a resurg russia __PUNCT__ led by a man who believ the soviet_union wa great __PUNCT__ not evil __PUNCT__

there is no on approach to these challeng __PUNCT__

there is no wall that the next presid can demand to be torn down __PUNCT__

but there is on unifi thread that connect each of these possibl threat __PUNCT__ when america is strong __PUNCT__ the world is safer __PUNCT__

ronald_reagan call it __PUNCT__ peac through strength __PUNCT__ and he wa never more right than todai __PUNCT__

it is onli american_power __PUNCT__ conceiv in the broadest term __PUNCT__ that can provid the foundat of an intern_system that ensur the secur and prosper of the unit_state and our friend and alli around the world __PUNCT__

american strength rise from a strong economi __PUNCT__ a strong defens __PUNCT__ and the endur strength of our valu __PUNCT__

unfortun __PUNCT__ under thi presid __PUNCT__ all three of those element have been weaken __PUNCT__

as presid __PUNCT__ on dai on __PUNCT__ i will focu on rebuild america_economi __PUNCT__

i will revers presid_obama massiv defens cut __PUNCT__

time and again __PUNCT__ we have seen that attempt to balanc the budget by weaken our militari onli lead to a far higher_price __PUNCT__ not onli in treasur __PUNCT__ but in blood __PUNCT__

my strategi of american strength is guid by a set of core_principl __PUNCT__

first __PUNCT__ american_foreign_polici must be prosecut with clariti and resolv __PUNCT__

our friend and alli must have no doubt about where we stand __PUNCT__

and neither should our rival __PUNCT__

if the world know we ar resolut __PUNCT__ our alli will be comfort and those who wish us harm will be far less tempt to test that resolv __PUNCT__

second __PUNCT__ america must promot open_market __PUNCT__ repres_govern __PUNCT__ and respect for human right __PUNCT__

the path from authoritarian to freedom and repres govern is not alwai a straight line or an easi evolut __PUNCT__ but histori_teach us that nation that share our valu __PUNCT__ will be reliabl partner and stand with us in pursuit of common secur and share_prosper __PUNCT__

third __PUNCT__ the unit_state will appli the full spectrum of hard and soft_power to influenc event befor thei erupt into conflict __PUNCT__

resort to forc is alwai the least desir and costliest option __PUNCT__

we must therefor emploi all the tool of statecraft to shape the outcom of threaten situat befor thei demand militari_action __PUNCT__

the unit_state should alwai retain militari supremaci to deter would __PUNCT__ be aggressor and to defend our alli and ourselv __PUNCT__

if america is the undisput leader of the world __PUNCT__ it reduc our need to polic a more chaotic world __PUNCT__

fourth __PUNCT__ the unit state will exercis leadership in multilater organ and allianc __PUNCT__

american leadership lend credibl and breed faith in the ultim success of ani action __PUNCT__ and attract full particip from other nation __PUNCT__

american leadership will also focu multilater institut like the unit_nation on achiev the substant goal of democraci and human right enshrin in their charter __PUNCT__

too often __PUNCT__ these bodi prize the act of negoti over the outcom to be reach __PUNCT__

and shamefulli __PUNCT__ thei can becom forum for the tantrum of tyrant and the air of the world most ancient of prejudic __PUNCT__ anti __PUNCT__ semit __PUNCT__

the unit_state must fight to return these bodi to their proper_role __PUNCT__

but know thi __PUNCT__ while america should work with other nation __PUNCT__ we alwai reserv the right to act alon to protect our vital nation_interest __PUNCT__

in my first __NUM___dai in offic __PUNCT__ i will take a seri of measur to put these principl into action __PUNCT__ and place america __PUNCT__ and the world __PUNCT__ on safer foot __PUNCT__

among these action will be to restor america nation_defens __PUNCT__

i will revers the hollow of our navi and announc an initi to increas the shipbuild rate from __NUM__ per year to __NUM__ __PUNCT__

i will begin revers obama __PUNCT__ era cut to nation missil_defens and priorit the full deploy of a multilay nation ballist_missil missil_defens system __PUNCT__

i will order the formul of a nation cybersecur strategi __PUNCT__ to deter and defend against the grow threat of militar cyber __PUNCT__ attack __PUNCT__ cyber __PUNCT__ terror __PUNCT__ and cyber __PUNCT__ espionag __PUNCT__

i will enhanc our deterr against the iranian_regim by order the regular presenc of aircraft_carrier task_forc __PUNCT__ on in the eastern mediterranean and on in the persian_gulf region __PUNCT__

i will begin discuss with israel to increas the level of our militari assist and coordin __PUNCT__

and i will again reiter that iran obtain a nuclear_weapon is unaccept __PUNCT__

i will begin organ all of our diplomat and assist effort in the greater middl_east under on offici with the author and account necessari to train all our soft_power resourc on ensur that the arab_spring doe not fade into a long winter __PUNCT__

i will launch a campaign to advanc econom_opportun in latin_america __PUNCT__ and contrast the benefit of democraci __PUNCT__ free_trade __PUNCT__ and free_enterpris against the materi and moral bankruptci of the venezuelan and cuban model __PUNCT__

i will order a full review of our transit to the afghan militari to secur that nation_sovereignti from the tyranni of the taliban __PUNCT__

i will speak with our gener in the field __PUNCT__ and receiv the best recommend of our militari_command __PUNCT__

the forc level necessari to secur our gain and complet our mission successfulli is a decis i will make free from polit __PUNCT__

and i will bolster and repair our allianc __PUNCT__

our friend should never fear that we will not stand by them in an hour of need __PUNCT__

i will reaffirm as a vital nation_interest israel exist as a jewish_state __PUNCT__

i will count as dear our special_relationship with the unit_kingdom __PUNCT__

and i will begin talk with mexico __PUNCT__ to strengthen our cooper on our share problem of drug and secur __PUNCT__

__PUNCT__

thi is america moment __PUNCT__

we should embrac the challeng __PUNCT__ not shrink from it __PUNCT__ not crawl into an isolationist shell __PUNCT__ not wave the white flag of surrend __PUNCT__ nor give in to those who assert america time ha pass __PUNCT__

that is utter nonsens __PUNCT__

an eloqu justifi surrend of world leadership is still surrend __PUNCT__

i will not surrend america role in the world __PUNCT__

thi is veri simpl __PUNCT__ if you do not want america to be the strongest nation on earth __PUNCT__ i am not your presid __PUNCT__

you have that presid todai __PUNCT__

the __NUM___centuri can and must be an american_centuri __PUNCT__

it began with terror __PUNCT__ war __PUNCT__ and econom calam __PUNCT__

it is our duti to steer it onto the path of freedom __PUNCT__ peac __PUNCT__ and prosper __PUNCT__

my hope is that our grandchildren will rememb us in the same wai that we rememb the past_gener of american who overcam advers __PUNCT__ the gener that fought in world_war __PUNCT__ that came through the great_depress __PUNCT__ and that gain victori in the cold_war __PUNCT__

let futur_gener look back on us and sai __PUNCT__ thei rose to the occas __PUNCT__ thei embrac their duti __PUNCT__ and thei led our nation to safeti and to great __PUNCT__

the greatest_gener is pass __PUNCT__

but as their light fade __PUNCT__ we must seiz the torch thei carri so gallantli at such sacrific __PUNCT__

it is an etern torch of decenc __PUNCT__ freedom and hope __PUNCT__

it is not america torch alon __PUNCT__

but it is america duti __PUNCT__ and honor __PUNCT__ to hold it high enough that all the world can see it light __PUNCT__

believ in america __PUNCT__

thank you __PUNCT__ and god_bless the unit_state of america __PUNCT__