In an unprecedented political moment, Democratic Presidential frontrunner, Barack Obama spoke to the nation today to further explain the “firestorm” surrounding his relationship with the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright as well as his view on race in America.

Obama’s campaign is built on his ability to “transcend race” and if you listen to his speeches he does that. But not today, he embraced race and it’s divisiveness.

Obama framed it this way, “we’ve heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.”

He addressed the issue head on but instead of ending it right there, Obama rolled into his standard campaign boilerplate of “hope”and “change”.

“I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren.” (Full text here.)

Obama’s speech today proved nothing else than he makes good speeches. Yet instead of distancing himself from this demagogue, he praised him, holding him up as an example of race history in America. Then he turned his argument of a racial divide into a condemnation of corporate America, health care and the education system. Obama pointed out that the system made both blacks and whites victims.

But words alone don’t make you the leader of the free world – it is judgement and your actions and the people’s belief that you will keep this nation safe, strong and free.

This controversy proves that Obama lacks the judgement to be President of the United States.

I still don’t know what Obama will do to fix all that is “wrong’ with America. I still don’t know what his foreign policy is. I have strong doubts how effective a “President Obama” would be in a major world crisis.

Platitudes and speeches filled with “hope” does not “change” anything for me.

Great speech Barack, but no cigar.

Here’s what other pundits are saying here, here, here and here. More here and here.

Polling numbers Wednesday, March 19, after Obama’s speech show no appreciable change for him, Rasmussen Reports.

I end this post with a photograph of Barack Obama on the campaign trail while our national anthem is being played — it says so much about “the man who would be President”.

Senator Barack Obama, Governor Bill Richardson, Senator Hillary Clinton and Ruth Harkin stand during the national anthem (Time Magazine 9/16/07)

Posted: 0900PT 03/18/08

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