And so here we are. We have lived to see the day when a black man becomes president of the United States. And he's not only that. He's intelligent and thoughtful, eloquent and interesting, compassionate and progressive. He's what we want for our sons and our daughters - not only a president to lead them to the future, but one who can show them all the possibilities in their lives. The Barack Obama story says: Read, listen, learn, get involved, get busy and make a difference. It's not what's handed to you but what you earn that defines you.
Education is the way out and the way up. Intelligence is cool. Eloquence inspires. Idealism is essential.
Public service is noble, and there might still be such a thing as politics without cynicism.
When was the last time a commander in chief was also role model in chief?
It's a lot to expect from a president - that he not only lead the great democracy but be a role model for the young people who crowd the generation just behind him. But that's what we appear to be getting today with Barack Obama, and that's why, on a personal level, so many Americans are excited about the new president. This is a two-fer.
Many of us had come to believe that the day of American greatness had passed, and that no one with any intelligence or brilliance would go into public service when there were fantastic personal fortunes to be made doing other things. Many of us still believe that a permanent political class runs the country, and that there's no way for "community organizers" to break through from the outside and change the self-interest aesthetic that dominates Washington. Running for office is not something many of us were suggesting to our kids.
But here we are. We have lived to see the day when a community organizer gets the highest office in the land, and public service looks like an admirable career choice again. While many of us had been turned off, millions had never even been turned on. On Saturday, in War Memorial Plaza in Baltimore, several people who had come to see Obama remarked that they had never been much interested in politics, never thought their engagement or vote made any difference. And many have been told for years that government is the problem, not a solution. One of our recent presidents famously said, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.' "
