++His valedictory tours have brought us his views on American identity. This speech was no exception. One of his many points was that our various identities talk to each other, see each other and play off each other and that polyglot identity is what is American. He spoke about the tragedy, the joy and the challenges of moving to a more "perfect union." Perhaps only a Black President can speak this way with any conviction and persuasion.
++While it was not an overtly political speech,he did allude to this year's elections. That we have to keep who we are and where we came from in mind.
++Please look at the full speech. It's about 29 minutes long posted at democratic underground.com.
++Obama reminds us that Jim Crow was yesterday and that the grievances from that period remain.
++I took this speech as a complementary speech to his last speech to the United Nations where he argued for the liberal world order and globalism, bridges ,not walls. On the UN speech, E.J. Dionne wrote that this year's election is a crucial vote on whether the United States will uphold its long-standing commitment to a just world order.
++I expect Obama on the campaign trail will emphasize the same points. He is asserting American identity and reminding us how far we have come even in his own lifetime.
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