I didn't actually hear this. I just read it over lunch at the office and was moved to tears.

Heh, I read it after I read the Rude Pundit's take on it:

Bottom line: that was a motherfuckin' speech by a motherfuckin' President of the United States. You remember what that's like? No, not here either.

I read the speech and it made me misty. Then I watched the link to his MLK day speech and outright cried. Either I'm broken, or Barack has made my grinchy heart three sizes too big.

The Democrats must do more than win the Presidency; they must also both keep the House and win the Senate. Otherwise, the Republicans will just play volleyball politics for the next four years and nothing will be accomplished.

Neither Obama nor Clinton have the political clout to assure such sweeping wins on all three fronts. The racial rift is an important issue, but this country is mired in far bigger problems. Obama's recent speech is just another sermon to the choir.

Well, it's one step at a time, Ardiril. I guess we'll see what happens when it happens, won't we?

We will have to, bmarkey, cuz as weak as I see the leadership to be on the Democrat side, I do not see any real strength on the Republican side either.

Ahhh, I love you, Ardiril.

tps: The flipside is any of the three contenders will be a significantly better leader than what we have now. Hopefully we all can see that light at the end of the tunnel.

OK I have had a tiny sip of the Kool-Aid. . .I may drink more.

Overall, awesome.

There's stuff I disagreed with in the speech. I think Obama tends too readily towards isolationism, and I think this coloured a lot of the speech.

"Hey Obama, there's a big old world out here."

He had that bit at the beginning of his speech where he said that having an African father, a white mother and a partner who was born of slaves and slaveowners was a uniquely American experience. It's not, and the fact that he said it annoyed me.

Also, when he talked about race in America, despite trying to be inclusive (Hispanic, Native American, etc), he missed out the large number of Middle Eastern people living in the US. Hatred of Islam and people who look Islamic in the US is in danger of becoming the new racial tension and he deliberately sidestepped the issue.

But I really loved the stuff about what is whispered in non-polite white and black company, and how a lot of white people feel overlooked and subsequently resentful. That shows empathy and an understanding of a particular racial situation I've never seen from a politician. I wish that politicians in this country could say and recognise the same. I'm sick of liberal people discounting that white resentment. It's real, I see so much of it, and it needs to be tackled.

In fact, he managed to say there something I've tried to say many times, but which I haven't been able to say for danger of appearing racist.

So, count me officially swayed. I can't vote in your upcoming foreign election, but if I could, then that speech would have made me firmly nail my vote to the Obama camp. It wasn't preaching to the choir. It was saying something important that has never, to my knowledge, been said before.

Also, it made me a little misty too.

Yeah, I'm swayed too.

I did not realise how much of my depression was caused by the political situation! Thank you Mr Obama for making me feel better.

I just hope will.i.am keeps his grubby hands off this one.

I was influenced, swayed, by the speech as well. (And I have been lukewarm about Obama -- I was an Edwards person, then voted for Hillary half-heartedly, sorta liked Obama, but not sure.)

Today I am a bit worried, though -- even if we all loved the speech, what about November and the re-run run run run of the Wright clips? Could be painful and scary/sad.

Well, time will tell.

What was impressive about his speech, for me anyway, was that he is the first candidate who has had to address race in this way. Before, candidates would address race by visiting a black church and mentioning that some of their best friends are black. I've been quite impressed with Senator Obama. From his ability to run a campaign, to the people he looks to for solutions. He seriously is the first interesting serious presidential candidate since I've started voting in 1982. Of course, he's doomed to lose as has every candidate I've voted for president. I'm just plain bad luck.