I don't think Obama is the answer to all our prayers. But I do appreciate a speech that has the courage to state uncomfortable truths and actually sounds like it was written for a literate people. It doesn't make Obama fit for office, of course - but I don't think any man is fit to rule others. Given that, I can acknowledge a statement that is worthy of the problems we face. It's good to hear somebody talk frankly and eloquently about our situation; I have no problem using the word "statesman", either.
And I don't see what the big deal with his pastor's words is, anyway. The government has not lived up to its promise; why should we pretend it has? I'm more offended that people aren't more angry about our mess. Sure, not everything is dark and grim as Obama reminds us. But successes don't require further effort - problems do. It is appropriate to focus on that which is the subject of our future work, rather than to sit around waving a flag and patting each other on the back.
I'm rather reminded of a scene from the ongoing HBO miniseries, John Adams. The president of the Congress reads the king's proclamation which calls for the hanging of anybody who dares to rebel against him, with no offer to redress any of the colonists' grievances. At the end, the customary "God save the king" is read, but Sam Adams exclaims "God damn the king!" It is a reaction fraught with emotion and bitterness and despair, but it is real and human. It is also the inescapable conclusion of any free people towards their government - it's only a matter of time before any state offends its own citizens. So when Pastor Wright exclaims "God damn America", he's being more patriotic than he knows - if you consider patriotism to be respect for your countrymen and not merely a ritualistic subordination to the symbols and offices of the government.
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