YOU HAVE A DREAM MR. PRESIDENT AND WE HAVE MORE HOPE

Abstracts from the presidential acceptance speech of 5th November 2008 :

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled- Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of red states and blue states; we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I know you didn't do this just to win an election, and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead.For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime-two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they' ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college.There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you:We as a people will get there.
To all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down:We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and secutity;We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright:Tonight, we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy,liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America, that America can change.Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let ask ourselves: If our children should live to see the next century; what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids;to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breath, we hope, and where we are met with cynism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.
Thank you, god bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

Woman's Voice

NEW BRAND OF MASCULINITY WINS THE PRO-CHANGE VOTE

In the waning days of the presidential campaign, Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are the leads in a gripping national drama about masculinity.
McCain has replaced George Bush as the standard bearer for conventional manhood:stubborn, controlling, shoot-from-the-hip, inflexible.
Obama offers quite a contrast. In scores of newspaper endorsements, editors have described him as sensitive, thoughtful, composed and collaborative. All this reflects a new brand of masculinity. Obama's gains in the polls as the economic situation worsens suggest voters prefer his"let's stay calm" approach to the financial crisis than the McCain-Palin fear-mongering attempts to frighten voters with charges the Illinois senator is a closet socialist who wants to"spread the wealth around".
While "It's the masculinity, stupid" never became a campaign slogan, manhood is a campain subtext.
Consider how a less strident brand American masculinity as practised by an Obama-Biden administration might polish America's tarnished reputation Internationally.
Remember the reception Obama received to his stirring speech in Berlin in August when he sounded themes of collaboration and reconciliation Internationally?
Obama has registered supporters' calls to find the "killer instict" and "go for the jugular". They miss the point. The way we read Obama really does want to do things differently. He seems to understand that the old-school manhood- marked by suspicion and isolation- translates into old-style politics and visa versa. Trust and collaboration, by contrast, seem the hallmarks of the Obama style.
WeNews commentator Rob Okun (womensenews.org)
Woman's Voice