Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Obama's Speech on Race

I still haven't made my mind up on Obama head's up against McCain. His foreign policy is immeasurably better than McCain's, but I fear what a Democrat may do to domestic policy and the Supreme Court.

One of the major criticisms of Obama is his lack of experience -- which I happen to like, truth be told. I think the Executive Branch could handle some weakening, given the current administration's vast expansion of power. It is very possible that President Obama would be unable to get meaningful legislation through the Congress -- even a solidly Democratic one, which any potential president is likely to inherit -- because of political infighting and schisms that have plagued the Dems for years. (As far as the government is concerned, the less they get done=the less damage they do.) Even a man as gifted as Obama is cannot solely depend on his popularity throughout his presidency.

But, man, can this brother speechify:



I've seen the speech. I like it. For someone like me, (i.e., bi-racial/black), there was nothing new in what he said. What makes the speech compelling, however, is the overwhelmingly positive reception it has received. Many people have been saying these things for years, but no one was listening.

It remains to be seen how many--and to what extent-- people will actually take what he said to heart. But it was good to hear.

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