That Speech (So What Else Did You Expect?)

As I've been saying all week, I've been mostly trying to avoid the Democratic convention this week (and I'll do an even better job of ignoring next week's Republican convention), but I had to tune in this evening to see Obama's speech. It's a significant occasion, and given what Obama's shown us before, there was no reason to believe it wouldn't be stirring.

And guess what? It was. There's commentary and analysis to be found all over the Web, so I don't really have any great desire to add much to it. I found the most moving line to be:

America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.

He's right. This is a better country than what's been on display for the last several years, but we've fallen victim to fear and fear-mongering. Will we rise above it during this election cycle? That remains to be seen--the McCain campaign is offering us a heaping helping of it this time around (although they temper it with a nice dollop of McCain as POW--I swear, it's a good thing McCain is so reticent to bring the subject up at all--if he were willing to really milk his status as a former POW, we'd get nothing but that; it might shove the fear-mongering out the campaign toolbox altogether).

Obama and Biden are off to a good start. It looks to be an exciting ride.