1. Barak Obama is a reflective man. We need a President who listens carefully and respectfully, thinks deeply and who connects ideas and events across multiple perspectives. The speech he gave on March 18 in Philadelphia is a beautiful example of how he connects the head and the heart; facing history, embracing the strengths of this country while honestly facing the mistakes and brokenness. Honesty and hope are fundamental to creating the "more perfect union" to which our Founders aspired.
The transcript and a recording of the speech can be found here:
2. Barak Obama is a gentleman. That was beautifully demonstrated in the first presidential debate when he listened politely, nodded in agreement and found common ground with his opponent. We need a leader with what Peggy Noonan, the Republican writer calls, "patriotic grace". She describes the kind of leadership we need in this passage from her column in the WSJ:
"We can fight honorably and in good faith, while—and this is the hard one—both summoning and assuming good faith on the other side."
In the first debate and throughout his campaign Obama has demonstrated that he, more than any other candidate, can fight a good fight with respect for the other side. He is a gentleman and it is not a contrivance of the campaign. This story from 20 years ago is a wonderful and simple demonstration of Obama's character:
You can read the original from a Norwegian newspaper or, if your Norwegian is a bit rusty you can read the translation.
Norwegian:
Translation:
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