What a terrific speech:

“If you’re someone who only reads the editorial page of The New York Times, try glancing at the page of The Wall Street Journal once in awhile. If you’re a fan of Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh, try reading a few columns on the Huffington Post website. It may make your blood boil; your mind may not often be changed. But the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship. So too is the practice of engaging in different experiences with different kinds of people.

For four years at Michigan, you have been exposed to diverse thinkers and scholars; professors and students. Do not narrow that broad intellectual exposure just because you’re leaving here. Instead, seek to expand it. If you grew up in a big city, spend some time with some who grew up in a rural town. If you find yourself only hanging around with people of your race or your ethnicity or your religion, broaden your circle to include people who’ve had different backgrounds and life experiences. You’ll learn what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes, and in the process, you’ll help make this democracy work,” – President Obama.

Via Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish

By the way, IT’S ELECTION DAY IN BRITAIN TODAY!!!

They look so happy together don’t they? No doubt the vile Rush Limbaughs and the Sean Hannitys will try to put a negative spin on the photo. Bastards.

Andrew Sullivan wrote a piece in The Times the other day, and it has to be the most articulate, almost poetic, analysis of Obama that I’ve read. Entitled Can Barack Obama fix it? Yes he can, the article looks at what makes President Obama tick, and takes a look at his stance on different political questions.

The column starts:

Magnanimity in victory: that was Churchill’s advice. And since his precocious victory last November, Barack Obama has walked that Churchillian walk. It is not common in politics, especially after a meteoric rise past every prejudice, every smear and every Clinton, but Obama has an old soul’s perspective and an intellectually secure man’s confidence. Perhaps he has too much confidence — except that every time his friends feared that in the campaign, he proved them wrong.

From the shallow brittleness of George W Bush to the supple strength of Obama is a revolution in temperament and style not seen since Jimmy Carter gave way to Ronald Reagan 28 years ago. It signals the kind of administration that now looms before us: a conciliatory, inclusive, pragmatic form of liberalism. It’s a liberalism eager to learn from the insights of conservatives, and it is pioneered by a president-elect shrewd enough to know that generosity of spirit means more leverage and influence, not less.

This was my favourite bit:

When you listen to him rattle off all the dimensions of the broader conflict, you are aware that this is a president who does not see the world in black and white or in with-us-or-against-us terms. He sees it as a series of interconnected conflicts that can be managed by pragmatic solutions, combined with a little rhetorical fairy dust and willingness to offer respect where Bush provided merely contempt. This is not a panacea. But it is not nothing either.

It’s quite a long piece, but definitely worth reading every word.

I have every faith that Obama is the right man, at the right time, for the job at hand, and America is lucky to have him.

Thanks muchly to Dawn B for sending me the article.

This is an excerpt from a post that I wrote on October 17th 2007:

…Obama was described as a man before his time, and others lamented that America had not yet reached the stage, where a black man could run for presidency, and have a realistic shot at winning it. A sentiment shared by a cyber pal who I spoke to recently.

I liked Obama, I really did. I mean what’s not to like? He’s handsome, (don’t tell me that doesn’t make a difference to somebody somewhere) he’s well turned out, and he knows how to give a rousing speech. He struck me as somebody I could sit down with, and have a really good chin-wag.

The problem for Obama as far as I can tell though, seems to be that the black folks think he’s not black enough, and the white folks think he’s too black. Poor sod, he’s got no effing chance. Maybe in a hundred years time he may have had a shot.

I honestly can’t believe that this has happened in my life time.

How about that speech huh? I cried buckets. Not least because it meant that moose-hunting wouldn’t take off in the rest of America.

Thank Oprah for that. An ad that says what they’re going to do, rather than concentrating on the opposition.

Stolen from Scott’s blog.

I love the passion and conviction in her voice. Just love it.

I’ve never felt the need to cry because of a political speech before, but at least one tear escaped.

Maybe she should be president eh?

It impressed the hell out of me.

It’s good to see that Hillary is endorsing Obama at last. Hopefully, they can start mending fences, so that her supporters don’t end up voting for MCain, out of some kind of misplaced sense of loyalty.

I’m not sure if an Obama/Clinton ticket would work now, because I think Hillary would find second place, hard to swallow, but Obama desperately needs her supporters’ votes, and to my mind, it’s better to go to the presidential race, knowing that those votes are secure, than going in, hoping that voting Republicans will swing-shift to the left. Although, if he can pick up the independents, like he did in the dem-nom race, then you just never know.

I really hope McCain doesn’t win the upcoming election, I think the world is in enough trouble as it is, without making it worse by having yet another Republican in power in America.

Unbelievable.

a live interview, FOX Contributor Liz Trotta jokingly wished for the assassination of Sen. Barack Obama.

This latest incident from FOX News continues the trend in violent rhetoric about Sen. Obama from pundits, politicians, and entertainers.

Grinning While Joking About Killing A Candidate
The incident happen in an exchange with the FOX News anchor. When asked her opinion of the recent scandal surrounding some comments made by Sen. Hillary Clinton, which Trotta described by saying that, “some are reading [it] as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama.” Hemmer quickly corrected Trotta, having noticed that she had said “Osama” when she meant “Obama.” At this point, Trotta said, “Obama. Well…both if we could!” Trotta then laughed gleefully.

Not only does she refer to him as Osama, but she jokingly suggests that he be assassinated along with Bin Laden. Oh my word.

It’s bad enough that there is so much hate in the world, but to have to put up with this kind of blatantly racist and violent rhetoric from a news network, is beyond comprehension.

If a news anchor or anybody in any kind of official role had made those same remarks in Britain, they’d have to resign. No ifs, no buts. Thank God I live in England, that’s all I can say.

Thanks to Jane, for the Huffington Post link.

Well, isn’t this a turn up for the books? Hopefully I’m not jinxing him, but it would seem that Obama is still making headway, towards becoming the next American president.

Barack Obama took a big step toward the Democratic presidential nomination with an easy victory in North Carolina on Tuesday, and Hillary Clinton vowed to keep her struggling campaign alive after narrowly winning Indiana.

The results helped Obama widen his lead over Clinton in the gruelling Democratic duel for the right to face Republican John McCain in November’s presidential election with just six nominating contests remaining.

Both candidates looked ahead to contests next week in West Virginia and May 20 in Oregon and Kentucky, but Clinton was nearly out of opportunities to change the course of the race.

“We have seen that it’s possible to overcome the politics of division and distraction, that it’s possible to overcome the same old negative attacks that are always about scoring points and never about solving our problems,” Obama said at a victory rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.

I’ve finally decided that he would be the better leader, not Hillary. Hillary would be far too divisive, and I think that if she won the Democratic race, Old Man McCain would be the next US president by default. Mind you, the same could happen with Obama, but I’m more certain it would happen with Clinton.

I know how shallow this is, but I think it would be hard to deny that his looks would be an asset. Don’t look at me like that, why do you think Bill Clinton did so well?

One of the reasons I voted for the Conservative representative in our recent local elections, is because I really don’t want Gordon ‘I’m not fit to lick Tony Blair’s boots’ Brown to represent my country. It would be like having John Major in office again. Dull, drab, and no personality. Blair had his faults, but at least he looked like a leader.

Shallow much? Hell yeah. They’re all much of the same muchness, but I’d prefer the prettier version, over the staid crusty number cruncher anyday.