Whether he wins the Democratic nomination or not, whether he becomes President or not, I believe this speech will go down as an historic moment. It's one of the most honest and direct on race we've had in the national spotlight in a very, very long time. I won't try to summarize it or add to it. You can read it for yourself.
I winced a few times. He wasn't PC enough. He talked about slavery right up front. Ooh, he said black people still have some anger. I can imagine his handlers had a conniption when he gave them the draft of the speech. But, I think he did a good job of balancing those things out. He gave us good dose of truth along with reason to hope. He talked about why things are the way they are without saying they need to stay that way. How many politicians would stand up there and deliver the truth about race in America?
One more thing I know about Barack Obama after this speech. He trusts the American people. He could have been a typical politician. He could have smoothed things over and not talked about why Reverend Wright has the mistaken attitude he has. He could have written him off as a crackpot. But, he took a chance. He took the chance that the average American is willing to face up to these issues, talk about them and not allow the issue of race to cloud their judgment. He took the chance that those who say they want change aren't just paying lip service and really do want a new type of leader. A leader who is willing to shoot straight. I learned today that Barack Obama has faith in the American people. We'll see if they have faith in him.
Peace,
Brian
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