hi, everybody. i hope you're all having a great fourth of july weekend.

　　i want to begin today by saying a special word to the u.s. men’s soccer team, who represented america so well the past few weeks. we are so proud of you. you’ve got a lot of new believers. and i know there’s actually a petition on the white house website to make tim howard the next secretary of defense. chuck hagel’s got that spot right now, but if there is a vacancy, i’ll think about it.

　　it was 238 years ago that our founders came together in philadelphia to launch our american experiment. there were farmers and businessmen, doctors and lawyers, ministers and a kite-flying scientist.

　　those early patriots may have come from different backgrounds and different walks of life. but they were united by a belief in a simple truth -- that we are all created equal; that we are all endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights; and that among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

　　over the years, that belief has sustained us through war and depression; peace and prosperity. it’s helped us build the strongest democracy, the greatest middle class, and the most powerful military the world has ever known. and today, there isn’t a nation on earth that wouldn’t gladly trade places with the united states of america.

　　but our success is only possible because we have never treated those self-evident truths as self-executing. generations of americans have marched, organized, petitioned, fought and even died to extend those rights to others; to widen the circle of opportunity for others; and to perfect this union we love so much.

　　that’s why i want to say a special thanks to the men and women of our armed forces and the families who serve with them -- especially those service members who spent this most american of holidays serving your country far from home.

　　you keep us safe, and you keep the united states of america a shining beacon of hope for the world. and for that, you and your families deserve not only the appreciation of a grateful nation, but our enduring commitment to serve you as well as you’ve served us.

　　god bless you all. and have a great weekend.