Jefferson Jackson Dinner: Obama Preview

Reporters here are already kindly disposed to Obama because for the first hour we were here, he supplied the only food available to us: fortune cookies.

Here was my fortune:

“When I'm your nominee, my opponent won't be able to say that I supported this war in Iraq; or that I gave George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran; or that I support that Bush-Cheney diplomacy of not talking to leaders we don't like. And he won't be able to say that I wavered on something as fundamental as whether it's ok for America to use torture – because it's never ok. That's why I'm in it.”
...

“This party – of Jefferson and Jackson; of Roosevelt and Kennedy – has made the most difference in people's lives when we've led, not by polls, but by principle; not by calculation, but by conviction; when we've had leaders who could summon the entire nation to a common purpose – a higher purpose. And I am running for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States because that's the party America needs us to be right now. “
...

“I don't want to pit Blue America against Red America, I want to lead the United States of America.”

...

“I'm running because of what Dr. King called “the fierce urgency of now.” I'm running because I believe there's such a thing as being too late. And that hour is almost upon us.

I run for the presidency for the same reason I fought to bring jobs to the jobless and hope to the hopeless on the streets of Chicago; for the same reason I stood up for justice and equality as a civil rights lawyer; for the same reason I've fought for Illinois families for over a decade.

Because I will never forget that the only reason I'm standing here today is because someone, somewhere stood up when it was risky. Stood up when it was hard. Stood up when it wasn't popular. And because that someone stood up, a few more stood up. And then a few thousand. And then a few million. And together, standing up, with courage and clear purpose, they somehow managed to change the world.

That's why I run, Iowa – to give my children and yours the same chances someone gave me.

That's why I run, Democrats – to keep the promise of America alive for those who still hunger for opportunity and thirst for equality.

That's why I'm asking you to stand with me, to caucus for me, to stop settling for what the cynics tell us we must accept. In this election – at this moment – let us reach for what we know is possible. A nation healed. A world repaired. An America that believes again.”

But I don't think it was just the sugar high that made several journalists turn to each other and widen their eyes: "It's really good," one said. "Really."

He's up last.