Obama, Don't Squander This Moment

There is a time and a place for lofty rhetoric, and it's here and now
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 27, 2008 6:26 AM CDT
Obama, Don't Squander This Moment
Barack Obama is illuminated by the light from the television as he watches Hillary Clinton, speak at the Democratic National Convention yesterday.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The right convention speech at the right moment can transcend politics, and Barack Obama may miss his moment with his plans to give a "workmanlike" speech tomorrow, writes Michael Gerson in the Washington Post. The candidate should focus on big themes like faith and equality, and return to his early theme of national unity, Gerson argues.

It would be a blunder for Obama to use this speech to rip McCain or focus solely on the bread-and-butter issues when he has a chance to make a positive plea for post-partisan unity, Gerson writes. "Obama has been given a unique historical moment," Gerson notes. "He will fill it with significance or eventually be filled with regret." (More speech stories.)

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