Down through the years Ihave seen despair and frustration evolve into optimism and progress and, even now, we must not abandon efforts to achieve permanent peace for Israelis and freedom and justice for Palestinians.
And what makes me confident is seeing all of you and seeing what I see all across America -- people who have drive and who haveoptimism and who are decent and do right by their families and do right by their communities.
But now that Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt have all gone to the polls in the fall of 2011, my optimism has been crushed and I fear for the rights of women in the Middle East.