His campaign should've prepared us for this. Accused of hatemongering by association with the Rev. Wright, he elevated the conversation in a speech that addressed race honestly and eloquently.
Accused of radicalism by association with William Ayers, he turned the other cheek, refusing to make much of McCain's own radical associations.
When it comes to Obama's fitness to lead, the signs have mostly been good. That's why some, myself included, have gushed at times, "Please, embrace this sane, rational and decent man."
Looking back across the landscape of his sojourn, Obama's made a history of embracing enemies, pouring oil on troubled waters, turning the other cheek. All along, he's inveighed against embracing the darkness inside our own hearts, and urged us to.
Oppose unnecessary wars.
Oppose the deliberate cruelty of torture.
Oppose unbridled greed.
Oppose destruction of communities.
Oppose prejudice against women, gays and immigrants.
Oppose the urge so prevalent within the human heart to scapegoat and demonize.
Oppose nuclear proliferation and other forces that endanger the whole earth.
Maybe it's because he is of the Whole Earth generation that he's so attuned to this existential moment. Obama is of a generation that grew up with the Whole Earth as ubiquitous icon. His generation grew up electronically connected and therefore exposed to the cruelties, pieties and generosities of others. He spent times not only at elite universities but also on the streets, driving broken down cars. Along the way he experienced a magical mystery tour as he sought to understand his own mythic family, his own identity. In coming to such understanding, he forged a new politics.
His message of peace, hope and community springs from this journey, this essence that is Barack Hussein Obama. At last he can proclaim his full name. It's part of a message that recognizes the dignity of others, the dignity of blood, sweat and tears, and a world community we all must work to save, lest it fall into the abyss that yawns inside each human heart.
Obama as savior? On some level he'd better be.
Else we are lost.
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