I really enjoyed your MoJo story, including your skepticism about his candidacy, and that is hard to write as I am die-hard Obama supporter since 1998. This blog post captures the essence of his remarks on Tuesday and I would only "one up" your final 'graf: it is America's failure AND the world's loss if we do not elect this man. Our nation owes so much, especially after the last eight years, and an Obama presidency would be a small gift towards righting some of the wrongs. For the first time since Iowa, however, my faith is shaken. But posts like this, your own consideration about running for public office, and dusting off my walking boots for Pennsylvania, will help me soldier on. Thanks for these thoughtful words.

A lot of people seem to forget that establishing and implementing public policy is only part of the job of political leaders in general and the President of the United States in particular.

They are political leaders but they are also societal leaders and they point us in certain directions not just in terms of practical issues but also in terms of our collective values and how we express those values.

It was no accident, I think, that overt racism became fashionable again almost as soon as Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President. Nor is it coincidental that, during the terms of George W. Bush, we have seen unprecedented levels of anti-intellectualism and the celebration of faith and feeling over thought and rigorous analysis.

I think one of the very best things about a prospective Obama Presidency would be the tone that he would set and the national mood he would create. It's about time we Americans got behind somebody who would make an openly intelligent, thoughtful, honest leader -- instead of somebody you might like to have a beer with.

Please stop saying you are a voice for the middle class. Many people in the middle class would rather stand for liberty than the the sad, dead ideals of Marxism. Ron Paul gets a A in my book! Now be a good Marxist, and go vote for someone who lies to you.

I can understand how he appeals to folks by promoting ideas like hope and unity. That's what folks who aren't doing so well have to fall back on when they don't get the help they need. If a great speech was all it took, then...you know, fill in the blank with any action that a speech can't accomplish. I would be more impressed or even have some respect for the Senator if the reason he brought up race and racism in the public discourse would have been in response to someone else besides himself being in trouble because of racism. The Jena Six trial/injustice in Mississippi would have been appropriate. Staying on top of anything concerning Katrina response would have been notable. Declining to attend the Black State of the Union in New Orleans last year hosted by BET's Tavis Smiley by saying 'I have nothing better to do' adds nothing still. He has no record at all on race issues. Nothing. He is even for the death penalty, with brothers disproportionately represented in Death row and prisons in general. He was certainly not fighting for me or anybody else that affected by racism in this country with that speech, he was fighting for himself.

I have been a supporter of Obama's for some time now, but I began to have concerns over his message of "hope" and "unity." Although I was drawn in by these words,I feared that they would bring about the neo-conservative babbling about how race doesn't matter and that anyone who works hard enough can achieve what they want. I worried in his conscious effort to avoid publicly speaking directly about race prior to this night, he was undermining the fact that race DOES matter and has real impact. But this speech with its candid and painful acknowledgments about his personal connections to the issue and the delicacy with which he framed them, affirmed that he is a leader that I can believe in.

At the same time, I'm not sure if we should place this speech squarely in the framework of his potential nomination or election. This should not be the measure to which we judge America's failure. Elections and elected officials are but one pivot, although significant, in the attempt to create a greater nation. This campaign, this speech, the movement he created should be seen as an opportunity to continue moving forward and building towards the America that we want to see. If we as a people cannot capitalize on these things, that is when we have failed.