Barack Obama addresses our great nation

This is the 30 minute special that Obama presented this evening. It ran on most of the major networks, but if you missed it or don't have a TV like me- here it is. I don't feel like it's possible to watch him and not be struck by how powerful he is. How sure handed, intelligent, understanding and presidential he seems. While the McCain campaign is harping on hatred and fear, he is standing steady amidst the storm- calm, collected.

No one man/woman can fix our country, but as long as we are willing to work hard to reclaim our collective potential, he can guide us. Reflecting back just a few months I would never have typed the word "great" in reference to America. The fact that I am revisiting my cynicism already speaks volumes. Let us please take a chance at this critical juncture. We have lost our way, we shouldn't be embarrassed to take out the map, reassess and move in a more positive direction. It is the hollow bravado of our bullying mentality that perpetuates that dedication to the status quo. There is nothing embarrassing or indecisive about checking our pulse and changing the game. It would be embarrassing for us not to.Let us learn something from the Yankees. They have spent the last few years throwing together big name has-beens and clashing egos in the hopes of returning to their previous grandeur. They have failed. Sure John McCain served our country valiently at one point in his life, but that dog has had his day. He is not what we need right now. Its time we look to our farm system, to the young arm, to the Billy Beane with the balls to challenge a failed approach, stretch our dollar and build a team.

With Barack Obama we see a collectiveness that has long alluded us. I am confident that an Obama administration would not merely recycle the old Washington talking heads, it would introduce new folks with new ideas. Yes, its hard to digest the magnitude of such a paradigm shift, but we are heading down a dark path. We have everything to gain if we have the self-respect and honor to do the right thing on November 4th and beyond.

I will close with the Yes We Can video. Yes it's old, but it never fails to give me goose bumbs. It reminds me that to have hope is not unrealistic, but rather, to shun it is to ensure failure. Thanks for reading.

"In the unlikely story that is America,
there has never been anything false about hope."