Barack Obama: “Change depends on persistence, and change depends on determination.”

We designed the center not to be some lifeless mausoleum.

a belief that our military and law enforcement owe allegiance not to any president or political party, but to the people and our constitution … a belief in the peaceful transfer of power

We’ve now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, you know, put enormous strain on our military. A lot of people have died. And it feels like we’re back where we were before we started the war, except maybe a little bit worse…

The success of this experiment was never a given.