Obama: 'Egypt Will Never Be the Same'

President Obama praised the news of Hosni Mubarak's resignation and promised to provide Egypt whatever help it needs toward a peaceful transition. The Washington Post has the full transcript, and Mediate has video. Some highlights:

• "The people of Egypt have spoken. Their voices have been heard. And Egypt will never be the same."
• "Egyptians have inspired us, and they've done so by putting the lie to the idea that justice is best gained by violence."

• "This is not the end of Egypt's transition. It's a beginning. I'm sure there will be difficult days ahead, and many questions remain unanswered. But I am confident that the people of Egypt can find the answers and do so peacefully ...
• "The United States will continue to be a friend and partner to Egypt. We stand ready to provide whatever assistance is necessary, and asked for, to pursue a credible transition to a democracy."
• "As Martin Luther King said in celebrating the birth of a new nation in Ghana while trying to perfect his own, 'There's something in the soul that cries out for freedom.'"

(More Egypt protests stories.)