But the values Ronald Reagan brought to America's conduct in the world will not change. So as we dedicate this ship, I want to rededicate American policy to Ronald Reagan's vision of optimism, modesty, and resolve. Ronald Reagan's optimism defined his character and it defined his presidency. More than a habit of mind, this optimism sprang from deep confidence in the power and future of American ideals. Great democracies, he believed, are built on the strong foundation of consent and human dignity.
Any government built on oppression is built on sand.
The future, he proclaimed, belongs to the free. That belief has lost none of its power to inspire hope and change. Around the world today, the expectation of freedom is fed by free markets and expanded by free trade, and carried across borders by the Internet. And nations that try to restrict these freedoms are in a losing battle with liberty. America, by nature, stands for freedom.