Wednesday -- Words from Obama, words from his books, speeches, and interviews.

This week Wordsmith.org is featuring words from Obama, words from his books, speeches, and interviews.

Unlike most politicians, who hire ghostwriters, Obama writes his own books. He's a gifted writer. Reading his words you can see his thought process. He's not one who sees the globe in black and white. He has lived outside the US and has been exposed to other cultures. He realizes that just because someone has a different set of beliefs, just because someone looks different, doesn't mean he's wrong -- sometimes there can be two ways to do something and both can be right.
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endemic

PRONUNCIATION:
(en-DEM-ik)

MEANING:
adjective:
1. Natural to a particular people or place; always present in a particular area.
2. Confined to a geographic region.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek endmos (native), from en- (in) + demos (people).

USAGE:
"Some of the worst actors on the international stage can also take advantage of the collective exhaustion and outrage that people feel with official corruption, as we've seen with Islamic extremists who promise purification, but deliver totalitarianism. Endemic corruption opens the door to this kind of movement, and in its wake comes a new set of distortions and betrayals of public trust."
Barack Obama; An Honest Government, A Hopeful Future; Speech at the University of Nairobi, Kenya; Aug 28, 2006.