This is going to be a very short diary.  I was listening to "Weekend Edition" on NPR this morning, and Scott Simon had an editorial commentary that bordered on the ridiculous.  First of all, he lambasted Obama for opting out of public financing - calling it a reversal of his pledge - , ignoring the issues of 527s, and had the nerve to use the line "we had to burn the village to save it" to describe Obama on that issue.  And then, worst of all, Simon accused Obama of playing the race card against McCain - twisting Obama's recent words as an attack on McCain, again ignoring the issue of 527s and what they were already rolling out against Barack and Michelle, and painting McCain as some kind of saint who would never engage in any kind of racial divisiveness (Gook-talk Express, anyone?).

Most of us on this site know that this will be an incredibly important election.  As Democrats, we know that there are monumental challenges that lay ahead of us – such as ending the war in Iraq, restoring the reputation of America around the world, weaning ourselves off our dependence on diminishing  supplies of fossil fuels, trying to halt impending climate change crises, dealing with poverty and the loss of jobs domestically, and dealing with starvation and disease internationally.  We also know that this is a great opportunity, as the Republican Party appears to be as weak and vulnerable as it has ever been for the last several decades.

With the impending mathematical victory of Barack Obama in the race for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party, and hopefully the end of the intraparty fighting and division that has marked this primary season, it’s a good time to remember what we’re all about as Democrats and Progressives.  

As the general election campaign fast approaches, every non-naive Democrat knows what to expect from the opposition.  Namely, an onslaught of attacks and negative advertising of the kind that we now call swiftboating.  After what happened to John Kerry in 2004, candidates and supporters alike have vowed "never again" to let a swiftboat campaign bring down a candidacy.  It's great to say that and its great to have fight and resolve, but the real question is how exactly are we going to deal with or counter swiftboating this time around?  The tricky thing about swiftboating is that it appeals to parts of the American psyche and American ignorance in which things such as facts, truth, and important issues have little relevance.

I apologize as this is really not a diary, but a request for someone else to post a diary or send me the material to post such a diary myself.

Several months ago, a dkos member posted diaries embedded with "The Obama 6" (six greatest Obama speeches) and then he updated it to "The Obama 7" after I believe it was the South Carolina victory speech.  These were a collection of speeches that captured the essence of his campaign and would probably cause anyone who watched them in succession to vote for him.  I'ld kind of been waiting for that person to keep posting and updating - an update would have to include "A More Perfect Union" and perhaps other speeches.  I guess the only reason I'm not posting this myself, yet, is that I don't think I quite have the list down of his great speeches:

I just wanted to point you all to this article on abcnews.com that discusses the excitement felt by people around the world concerning this presidential election in the USA – and particularly, for Obama.

Small World After All: Obama-Clinton Battle Stirs Global Debate

I'm only posting this because I haven't seen signs of what I expected to see after March 4th.  I expected to see diaries about pro-Obama Kossacks caravanning to Pennsylvania or engaging in phone banking or fundraising campaigns.  I expected to see a mass mobilization of the netroots in this state, because it is the battleground for the next 6 WEEKS.  Anyone who supports Obama on this site needs to understand: a win in Pennsylvania is needed to seal the nomination and make sure it does not go to the convention.  There will not a mass movement of superdelegates without that win.  And right now, Obama is behind by 19 points in this state.

Racism, overt enough to be admitted to and to be quoted on, was clearly a factor on March 4th, especially in Ohio.  

... exit polls in Ohio showed that fully 20 percent of primary voters acknowledged that "the race of the candidate" was "important" in deciding their vote. And Clinton won this group by a big margin -- 59 percent to 39 percent.

- RealClear Politics:  Sorry to Say, Race Is Still a Factor in Democratic Contest

And this is not a diary that sets out to accuse one campaign or another of racism.  This is not saying that all Clinton supporters are racists any more than I would ever say that all Obama supporters are sexist.  This is a diary about the need for leadership and a strong message to be sent to the still sizeable masses of racists in this country.

Read this article from the Chicago Reader published in 1995, and see if you don't come away from it as impressed as I was about how authentically progressive, sincere, and grounded this man is - and how consistent the Obama of 1995 is with the Obama of 2008.  This guy really believes in the "new politics" that he's talking about and has been living it for over a decade.  It's not "platitudes" and he's not an "empty suit." And to think that he has a great chance of actually being sworn in as president next January.