Sixteen months ago, I witnessed the power of Barack Obama to captivate a willing audience. He spoke to the DNC at the 2007 Winter meeting -- spoke to a thunderous ovation. He spoke of a vision for a new type of politics that reached across the aisle to unite Democrats and Republicans. He spoke of change. Heck, he spoke a lot about change.
However, except for a few comments about education, especially making higher education affordable, he wasn't too clear about what kind of change he meant. I was left with a little empty feeling -- wanting to feel the unabashed adoration his most fervent supporters felt -- but I didn't get a sense for what Barack Obama would actually try to accomplish substantively, as President. I stayed in Edwards' camp -- but knowing that was a doomed effort, I continued to hope for Obama's victory. When it was my turn to vote, I enthusiastically voted for Obama. I sensed there was something special about the moment -- Americans voting in large numbers and with such fervor, for a black man. This was truly a hopeful, inspiring development, yet I still felt an small empty space, because too many of the blanks still needed to be filled in.
I still needed Obama to tell Americans what his agenda would be -- to give us the meat on the bones -- get beyond the slogans and tell the American people what his sort of "change" will mean for each of us. Tonight, Barack Obama filled in the blanks, and delivered as inspiring and moving a speech as anyone has ever heard.
Tonight, Obama told us what he stakes are in this election, Ending an engagement in Iraq that isn't contributing to our security, even as it drains our Treasury. He told us he will make universal health care a priority. He will insist on federal dollars to improve our schools. He will demand and create a range of incentives and regulations that will, in effect, create a revolutionary new energy policy for this country -- one that will wean us off oil, lead to self-sufficiency, and create untold numbers of new jobs that will not disappear.
More than anything else, he laid out the challenge for all of us. "This is our moment," he implored. It was the kind of signature moment that all successful campaigns must have. It gave me chills and moved me to tears. More than that, though, it truly was a challenge to all of us -- that we must share in this effort. This is our moment. We dare not let it slip away. We must not fail. If anyone is still looking for the meat on the bones, we need only point to tonight's speech. If anyone needs to know what's at stake in this election, they need to hear this speech.
Thank you Barack. And thank you Democrats, for keeping faith.