Barack Obama, Faith and Politics

I haven't posted for a while, and honestly it has mostly been because I just wanted to avoid "I told you so" kinds of posts. Bush is at the lowest approval ratings of his Presidency, and Iraq is going badly, and it just seems like everything I would say is simply self evident.

However today I listened to the latest podcast from Barack Obama, and it was a recording of his keynote address at a "Call to Renewal" conference. I simply have to say, I want this man to run for President. I have said it before, and I will say it again. He is simply the most articulate and most surprisingly moving progressive we have today in the Democratic party.

The best thing about this speech is that it is a call to people of faith to express themselves. It explains how he feels as a man of faith, and how he is motivated to do good through that faith. He also talks about the place of faith in a progressive political arena. It is remarkably good, and I hope you simply read it (or even better listen to it) for yourself.

As a man of faith myself, and someone who is progressive largely because of my faith, not in spite of it as many conservative Christians would have you believe, this is a wonderful thing to hear from one of our leaders.

Here is a link to the speech in audio form, and the page also includes a transcript so you can read it if you prefer.