Obama steps out of safety, tackles issue of race in historic speech

Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday tried to stem damage from divisive comments delivered by his pastor, while bluntly addressing anger between blacks and whites in his most racially pointed speech. In an address at the National Constitution Center, a building steeped in the nation’s historic symbolism, Mr. Obama delivered a sweeping assessment of race in America, confronting America's legacy of racial division head on. It was the most extensive speech of his presidential campaign devoted to race and unity, a moment his advisers conceded presented one of the biggest tests of his candidacy.

Full speech:



It's worth the read, so here's the full transcript:
link to transcript:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/18/obama.transcript/index.html

'Mother Jones' Commentary:
"Black and More Than Black": Obama's Daring and Unique Speech on Race
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/03/7695_black_and_more.html

LA Times Summary:
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-campaign19mar19,1,4641756.story

CNN Anchors' Analysis:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/18/obama.speech/index.html#cnnSTCOther1

Excellent Criticism of News Pundits Takes:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-rosen/obama-tells-the-best-poli_b_92139.html

A reaction from listeners:
"Obama's speech, throughout, asks its listeners to transcend themselves -- it asks them to choose nuance over cartoonish political controversy; it asks them to acknowledge stuff about race they don't want to acknowledge; it asks them to think big instead of small."

"I am a 29 white woman who grew up in Idaho, incredibly naive about racial difference and the legacy of racism. After college, I spent 3 years in rural Mississippi teaching at an all black high school in one of the most impoverished parts of the nation. I have lived and worked on both sides of the racial divide and have learned along the way how complicated issues of race, justice, & economic disparity intersect. Obama presents some of the most honest & difficult truths I have ever heard from a politician with candor, humility, & grace. He is not a perfect man — but he has enormous insight & wisdom. This was a courageous moment in American politics. I can’t conceive of voting for anyone else. Even if his campaign should somehow fail, I consider myself lucky to have heard this speech today & to be part of the generation that has witnessed & worked for his campaign."