We should vote for Obama, if only because he is the only public figure who could give this speech. Nobody else would have had the daring and the insight to explore the subtleties and contradictions of the enduring black-white divide in America -- and have done so with such a keen understanding of, and empathy for, all those well-intentioned folks on either side who want to reconcile but don't quite know how.
Indeed, if Obama believed that America was indelibly racist (as some are claiming to be Obama's secret conviction), then he would not have given this speech. He would not have even chosen to risk a run for the presidency in a racist, majority-white country. Because true racists would never be moved or persuaded, no matter how eloquent his words. To even attempt this campaign, much less this speech, must have required a genuine belief that America is ready to change for the better.
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