Thanks to Rodolpho for the link to this wonderful speech Senator Barack Obama presented to the Sojourner's Conference. Reading the speech I came to realize that, while I have been mostly impressed with him since he came upon the scene, I may have underestimated his grasp of religious language and commitment to the faith.
His speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention was far and away the best part of the event (much better than either Presidential Candidate's speeches), but this explanation of his own faith and how it should manifest itself in a public forum gives me pause (the good kind) as I reflect on the useless nature of our 2 political parties. At times I felt I was reading the speech of a pre-1968 politician or preacher, such as Robert Kennedy (his candor and optimism were Kennedy-esque).
Understand I am not becoming a card carrying Democrat or putting his sticker on my car (I am much too cynical for such a move). I know he supports policies I cannot stomach and he is a Washington Senator (which means he must be dirty, right?). However, his desire to appeal across partisan lines and reach out honestly and respectfully to people of faith (not cynically like many democrats-check out his subtle slam on Kerry in church) is to be lauded. Of course, I expect the denizens of FoxNews (the spokeschannel for the RNC) and the RR to take the time to attack Barack as a hypocrite.
No comments:
Post a Comment