Ladders of Opportunity

3-18-08

For those who believe that America has more to gain from seeking common purpose than from continuing to underscore our differences, Barack Obama has delivered the most important speech in recent memory. But it is not Obama’s intellect, nor even his eloquent delivery that we should focus on.  Rather, his genuine feelings and the real possibility of  bringing a towering level of character and judgment to the presidency compel me to take him seriously.  His focus is on issues, where America’s needs to be. His goal to create “ladders of opportunity that did not exist for previous generations” seems to me the only rational answer for 21^st century America. Is it even arguable that we’ll be a stronger nation if every citizen works to assure that every other citizen gets a piece of the action?

He appears to transcend not only race, but party politics, which alone makes him unique. I refuse to withhold my vote simply because he is not long in the tooth, does not see war as the answer to all our problems, and declines to campaign like an attack dog. For the first time in years, I hear convincing arguments that we may be able to rise above the pettiness that has triggered our national decline.