11:14 Obama takes the stage the crowd goes wild - behind a bank of flags..
Obama "expressing my deep gratitude for Vince Gunther (veteran) for his service to his country. I also want to acknowledge some wonderful public servants who are here. Congressman Emanuel Clever, Congressman Ike Skelton, State Sen. Jolie Justice," and others... Also mentioned Claire McCaskill who could not be with them today - "for the Jayhawks in the audience, Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Jay Nixion"

11:20 "For the first time in my life my patriotism has been challenged - so let me say this, I will never question the patriotism of others in this campaign. And I will not stand idly by while others question mine."

11:23: "Most Americans understand there is nothing smart about a cynical view of America's institutions... and yet the anger and turmoil of that period never drained away... Those who opposed administration policy were labeled as unpatriotic ... given the enormous ... that lie before us we cannot afford to be that divided.. Surly, we can agree that no political party has a monopoly on patriotism"

11:26 "one of my earliest memories is sitting on my grandfather's shoulders watching the Astronauts come into the bay in Hawaii and hearing him talk to me about how being American means you can do anything you set your mind to do..... That's my idea of America... I remember living for 4 years in Indonesia and having my mom read me the first few sentences of the Declaration of Independence ... and how that applied to all of us... that's my idea of America. As I got older that gut instinct that we were the greatest country in the world would help us go past its flaws. Watergate... the flaws of the Mississippi Delta, and racism... The joys and vitality all without its imperfections... ignores the possibility that it can be made better"

11:31 "we are not constrained by the accident of our birth, but it can define our lives as it has defined the lives of so many - and that's why to me patriotism is more to me than a place on a map or a certain kind of people but to a kind of ideals. That someone can give their last full measure of emotion, religions and customs can come together as one. the application of these that separates us from Zimbabwe where opposition is being hunted.. and Burma... or Iraq where despite the heroic efforts of our men and women factions remain divided... Those who ignore those do not truly understand America"

11:33: "As Mark Twian, that great Missourian once said, "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."

11:35: "This is part of the American tradition, why we are proud to be Americans. The willingness to dissent on those ideas. Willingness to sacrifice, on behalf of a larger cause. The young veterans like this, the ones I meet at Walter Reed, the ones like John McCain who have sacrificed the most. We must always express our gratitude for our men and women in uniform ... period... full stop... The greatest thing to emerge from this war - whether you oppose it or are for it, our support for those who serve is strong. That has changed since the 60's. "

11:36: In spite of this absence of leadership from Washington, a new group of Americans have taken up this cause. The young people I've met all over the nation. Those who serve over seas, but those who also reach out to teach in our communities.... I believe one of the tasks of our next generation is to ensure this grows. We should expand AmeriCore and expand the Peace Corps ... and give more benefits for those who serve in our military. True patriotism cannot be forced by policy .. it must be nurtured in the hearts of our children. It is easy to take the nature of our country for granted, but it is that history in our children both at home and at school. Too many children are ignorant of the sheer effort of risks and sacrifices to ensure people survived war and depression - it is up to us to teach them in our schools, and even though we have faced great challenges and faced mistakes. We have always been able to come together to make America better. It has always been up to us to teach them that the world has looked to us to be the leaders. It is up to us to teach them how to make their voices heard. "

11:41 "Patriotism involves not just working against external threats, but working together to make this country better for future generations. When we pill up debt for them to pay off.... we risk leaving behind an America that has fallen in the rank of the world."

11:42 "The better angels of our nation"

We know the greatness of this country, all result in the image and imagination of this country. Their quite heroism, the liberty to pursue our own dreams. The community we strive to build, in this sometimes messy democracy of ours. There is nothing we cannot do if we put our mind to it. Our own face wrapped up in the faith of our people. And that's what patriotism means to me... Thank you very much, and may God Bless America."

Spin

Oddly enough CNN did not go live with the speech. It was interesting to see Rep. Clever there, who had been a Hillary supporter until the very end.

It was also very interesting the extent to which young people were referenced in the speech and that dedication to the next generation was considered to be patriotic and the extent to which the burn rate this administration has gone through has disrespected future generations so extensively.