I thought that the president's speech was quite wonderful. It was an odd environment for such a somber occasion, with the audience filled mostly with students who seemed to be treating it as a pep rally with exuberant cheering and applause. But, I thought Obama did a masterful job of adjusting to the energy and directing it in an inspiring way.
"I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us."
Wonderful words. I believe that too. As I recall, Lincoln often said very similar things during an even more polarized time.
"But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized - at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do - it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds."
That's the heart of it, and the exact right thing to say. Enough of each end of the political spectrum trying to blame the other end of the political spectrum. This is the Obama I voted for. Glad to see he is still there.
