"This is our moment. This our time."

I was going to do a post on the various dissembling and prevaracating the McCain campaign has been involved in over the "Surge" recently. But instead, I think I will take some time to talk about Mr. Obama's remarks.

It is often said that Senator Obama is a fine orator, but rarely have I seen an individual rise to the occasion so often when the expectations are set so impossibly high. His gift for delivery and the top notch writing of his team only further showcases this. If you subscribe to the conventional political wisdom, this trip and speech were ripe with potential pitfalls for the Obama campaign generally and Senator Obama specifically. Whether it was how he would be received by foreign dignitaries, to the presumptuousness of the whole venture, and even to the growing meme of his utter arrogance. He needed to thread the needle, as it were.

In a world that has increasingly come to loathe the United States, he must quell those fears without seeming to echo them. He must strike all the proper patriotic tones, without alienating his hosts, yet make it relevant and topical to all that might listen.

A tall order in deed.

How could he possibly convey all that, to all those people?

Well, by brandishing both his and Americas more potent message. Hope.

He went before the people of Germany and proclaimed, "Tomorrow will be better." But don't take my word for it, this passage sums up that feeling:

I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we've struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We've made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.

But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived - at great cost and great sacrifice - to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world. Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom - indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares. What has always united us - what has always driven our people; what drew my father to America's shores - is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please.

These days are not those days. So whether you agree with the politics of the speaker or not, whether you are a supporter or not. It is the proper sentiment. We can acknowledge that we have made mistakes. It is not a statement on what we have to fear, but of why we should have hope. It wasn't a speech about those who wish us harm, but one about how we can help each other. It was a reminder of what we can be, because at its root at its core America is essentially built on hope.

That should be a message we all can appreciate.


-Cheers

-edit-added a link to the Senator's speech.