Barack: You told me all those years ago that you couldn’t promise me the world, but you could promise me an interesting life. Of course, you outdid yourself and managed to give me both.
Eight years in the crucible, and not once did you melt from the heat. Not once did you let it harden you. Instead, you used it to reveal your truest essence: your stubborn optimism and unflinching courage, your dazzling brilliance and unpretentious decency, your ferocious work ethic and absolutely unshakable moral fiber.
To know Barack and Michelle is to understand: They have always believed that leadership is about leaving something behind that empowers others.
Today's opening of the Obama Presidential Center reflects that vision. It will continue to invest in future generations and encourage people to see themselves as part of something bigger.
Congratulations, my friends. What a remarkable day.