American Club

November 27, 2008

It is a pleasure to be with all of you at the American Club on Thanksgiving, a holiday that means so much to the United States and its citizens.  Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and to look forward. And I think that is especially true this year, a few weeks after a historic presidential election.  Today, all around the United States, Americans are gathering to share turkey dinners and give thanks for their many blessings.   I am very pleased to share this gathering with you today:  Argentine friends of the United States and some of my fellow Americans.  I will now continue in English, but Spanish versions of the speech and the President's Thanksgiving Proclamation will be available on the Embassy's website.

I would like to continue by reading parts of the 2008 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation of the President of the United States.

"Thanksgiving is a time for families and friends to gather together and express gratitude for all that we have been given, the freedoms we enjoy, and the loved ones who enrich our lives. …  

"Today, as we look back on the beginnings of our democracy, Americans recall that we live in a land of many blessings where every person has the right to live, work, and worship in freedom.  Americans are also mindful of the need to share our gifts with others, and our nation is moved to compassionate action.  We pay tribute to all caring citizens who reach out a helping hand and serve a cause larger than themselves.

On this day, let us all give thanks to God who blessed our nation’s first days and who blesses us today.  May He continue to guide and watch over our families and our country always.

Signed, George W. Bush"

Thanksgiving has a long history in the United States and it demonstrates some of the core principles on which our country was founded.  In the early 1600s, when the Pilgrims were still struggling to survive in their new land, they held days of Thanksgiving after the harvest season to give thanks for having been provided enough food to get them through the harsh winters.  These days of Thanksgiving were filled with food that the Native Americans had shown them how to grow or hunt, including wild turkey.  And so began the very American way of incorporating parts of other cultures into our collective traditions. As the Pilgrims shared their dinner with their Native American neighbors, I am so pleased that my fellow citizens and I can share this dinner with so many of our Argentine friends today.

Thanksgiving is a day of reflection.  It was made a national holiday by President Lincoln during one of our most difficult years in the midst of civil war.  He wanted Americans to remember what they could be grateful for even in hard times.  In many ways, 2008 has been a difficult year, not only for America, but the world.  We have faced challenges, but these challenges have not stopped us from doing our best to defend the principals and ideals on which our democratic republic has been built.  I salute all the brave and generous people who have worked hard, often risking their lives at home and around the world in support of our democratic ideals.

Thanksgiving is also a day to look forward.  For all of this year's tribulations, I firmly believe that all of us, Argentines and Americans, have much to look forward to.  Argentina will celebrate soon 25 years of uninterrupted democracy.  The United States has elected a new President, and now stands on the threshold of a new era. In this remarkable election, America showed the world that we continue to evolve and grow as a nation while staying true to the values that have influenced our greatest moments. There's no doubt that these are trying times.  However, it is also an exciting moment in history, as we close one chapter and began anew.  It is a chapter filled with hope, and a promise of a future that benefits the entire world.  We can do much good in the year a head with hard and dedicated work and cooperation among nations.

So today, I am thankful for many things.

I am thankful that I have been able to spend 2008 in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, where I have been privileged to witness the efforts of Argentines and Americans to bring our two great countries closer together for common good.

I am thankful to be here at the American Club, just a few short weeks after we worked together  to host a wonderful event for election night.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to meet and work with so many outstanding Argentines working to build a better future for their children, their country and the world.

I am thankful to have hope for the future.  The United States and Argentina are lands of ingenuity.  I know we can weather any storm and build that better tomorrow. 

I am very  thankful for the wonderful Thanksgiving dinner that we are all about to eat.  It is heartwarming to have a small taste of the United States, here in the Southern Hemisphere.

I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!