The D-Day Apology Speech Obama almost Gave from Planck's Constant

President Barack Obama on Saturday marked the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings on France’s Normandy beaches. I have been able to obtain the text to a speech that Obama wanted to deliver, but changed his mind at the last minute because of all the flak he received on his Cairo speech.

Here is the full text:

I am honored to be in Normandy on this day and I am proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people. We know there is great tension between the United States and France, a tension rooted in the hastily chosen invasion of your homeland. The attacks of December 7th, 1945 were used by the enemies of America to sow hatred rather than peace, and to promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity.

Over sixty-four years ago, the United States defended itself against Japan with broad international support. We did not go by choice, we went because of necessity. I am aware that some question or justify the events of Pearl Harbor. But let us be clear: the Japanese killed nearly 2,500 people on that day.

The War in Europe, however, was a war of choice that provoked strong differences in my country. Although I believe that the German people are ultimately better off without the tyranny of Adolph Hitler, I also believe that events in Germany remind America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible. Had I been President in 1941 I would never have declared war against Germany, a country that never attacked us prior to that declaration and was never a threat to American security.
Indeed, without our intrusive intervention, I have no doubt that England and Germany would have resolved their differences based on mutual interest and mutual respect. Sadly, our entrance into the European Theater resulted in the death of tens of millions of people.

And so for the disastrous invasion of Normandy, I apologize. If there is anything we have learned from that war is that military power alone is not going to solve the problems in Europe or the rest of the world. If Europe is ever again threatened by any enemy, I can assure you that the United States will not take preemptive or impulsive unilateral action ever again.

Related: Obama Egypt Speech: VIDEO, Full Text: here.

British PM Gordon Brown Renames Omaha Beach As Obama Beach; YouTube video: