Obama: "I know, I have seen, the desperation and disorder of the powerless"

[beaconess]

"It's beyond my skill as a writer to capture that day (September 11, 2001), and the days that would follow . . . Nor do I pretend to understand the stark nihilism that drove the terrorists that day and that drives their brethren still. My powers of empathy, my ability to reach into another's heart, cannot penetrate the blank stares of those who would murder innocents with abstract, serene satisfaction.

"What I do know is that history returned that day with a vengeance; that, in fact, as Faulkner reminds us, the past is never dead and buried - it isn't even past. This collective history, this past, directly touches my own. Not merely because the bombs of Al Qaeda have marked, with eerie precision, some of the landscapes of my life - the buildings and roads and faces of Nairobi, Bali, Manhattan; not merely because, as a consequence of 9/11, my name is an irresistible target of mocking websites from overzealous Republican operatives. But also because the underlying struggle - between worlds of plenty and worlds of want; between the modern and the ancient; between those who embrace our teeming, colliding, irksome diversity, while still insisting on a set of values that binds us together, and those who would seek, under whatever flag or slogan or sacred text, a certainty and simplification that justifies cruelty toward those not like us - is the struggle set forth, on a miniature scale, in this book.

"I know, I have seen, the desperation and disorder of the powerless: how it twists the lives of children on the streets of Jakarta or Nairobi in much the same way as it does the lives of children on Chicago's South Side, how narrow the path is for them between humiliation and untrammeled fury, how easily they slip into violence and despair. I know that the response of the powerful to this disorder - alternating as it does between a dull complacency and, when the disorder spills out of its proscribed confines, a steady, unthinking application of force, of longer prison sentences and more sophisticated military hardware - is inadequate to the task. I know the hardening of lines, the embrace of fundamentalism and tribe, dooms us all.

"And so what was a more interior, intimate effort on my part, to understand this struggle and to find my place in it, has converged with a broader public debate, a debate in which I am professionally engaged, one that will shape our lives and the lives of our children for many years to come."
---Barack Obama, Preface to the 2004 Edition of "Dreams from my Father," originally published in 1995.

Discuss.

[illinoisprogressive]

1. What a profound and powerful writer and mind.

[ohioan]

2. Wow. That's incredible.

This guy is really growing on me. I don't know if I'm going to support him, but it sure would be nice to have a president who thinks like this.

[mbali]

3. This is really great stuff. But it's interesting that so few people took you up on your invitation

to discuss but threads about triviliaties about Obama and other candidates (their looks, their hair, how cute they are, whether their names are funny, etc.) are standing room only.

I like Obama and I'm liking him more the more I see about him. It's obvious, as this excerpt shows, that he's a deep thinker with a wealth of experience dealing with all kinds of people in all kinds of situations and seems to have an incredible well of empathy for others, something that's sorely missing in the current administration.

I'm really looking forward to him being in the race and seeing what he will bring to it.

[AtomicKitten]

4. Obama has a brilliant mind.

It is unfortunate some folks at DU are misled by those with ulterior motives and are simply dismissing this bright young man. He clearly has substance in spades.

On edit: K&R

[beaconess]

5. true dat

[Imagevision]

11. I agree, I believe Obama's popularity will grow with little effort, the man is real, unlike the rest

[AtomicKitten]

14. maybe there is too much cynicism in the world

and certainly for good reason, but I really think Obama has the right stuff. He's not perfect and nobody should expect him to be, but he sure is a breath of fresh air in this ugly, fractious political environment.

[AZBlue]

16. He is so unbelievably real.

Every time I hear something about him or hear him say something, I'm even more amazed than before.

[Imagevision]

20. How long has it been since we've heard from someone this real?

[Telly Savalas]

6. He doesn't have enough experience to write that.

[bling bling]

7. Agreed. He needs to have a few more books under his belt. n/t

[beaconess]

9. And you know his name sounds like bin laden's so he couldn't possibly write like this

[Telly Savalas]

12. Not to mention that he has big ears and smokes.

[GenDem]

8. That is some beautiful writing.

He's thoughtful, he's a master with the written word, and he is an inspiring leader. I hope that his light continues to burn bright, because this battered republic needs him.

[Imagevision]

10. This guy is good, no wonder Bill & Hillary are concerned...

[AtomicKitten]

15. isn't that a hoot?

Who ever would have guessed the skinny black kid with big ears would give the SS Clinton a run for her money? The competition will make them both better candidates.

[ripple]

13. That's the corporate media talking!

Obama should be summarily dismissed, because we won't allow them to choose our candidate!!!! Never mind that we'll let them tell us who not to choose. Hell, all they have to do is pay attention and we're out of there. :sarcasm:

Great words, thanks for posting. :)

[aaronbees]

19. You get it...

Of all the memes floating around now the "Obama is the MSM darling" one is the one that riles me up the most.

And I agree, his words there are wise and inspiring.

[beaconess]

21. Unlike some so-called media darlings, there's plenty of there there

And the more people see of him, the more they'll be impressed, I think. There's a lot going on behind the smooth exterior. This brother is deep.

[Grandrose]

17. Thank you for posting this

How profound and inspiring is his writing.
I was already impressed, he is truly amazing.
Whatever happens in the coming months is going to be exciting and fun.
I think all the naysayers had better hold on to their hats, cause they are in for
a bumpy ride.

[Imagevision]

18. Obama-Obama What's going on? there's far too many dying

[GeorgeGist]

22. Obama's state of denial is palpable in this quote...

"Nor do I pretend to understand the stark nihilism that drove the terrorists that day and that drives their brethren still. My powers of empathy, my ability to reach into another's heart, cannot penetrate the blank stares of those who would murder innocents with abstract, serene satisfaction."

[beaconess]

23. How does that observation reveal a "state of denial?"