As readers of any of my previous posts may have surmised, I am a supporter of Barack Obama. I recognize that my views are colored by my support, and therefore have always tried to bring a reasoned dispassionate approach to my commentary. But in the spirit and tone of the day, I want to acknowledge reality and provide context.

Like many, I was quite taken by Barack Obama’s keynote address to the 2004 Democratic Convention. I was moved by his sentiments, and impressed by his skill at articulating his sentiments. I would not, however, say that I was “won over” at the time. I was impressed and wanted to learn more about Obama, but I wasn’t clamoring from that moment to see an Obama candidacy. All of that changed when, a few months later, I read his 1995 book, “Dreams from my Father.” From the time I read that book, I was overwhelmed by Obama’s voice; by his ability to reflect, with clarity, on history without being weighted down by it; by his ability to recognize, not just superficially, real grievances on all sides of potentially divisive issues; by his understanding that seeming contradictions in our society can be one of our greatest strengths rather than our most threatening flaw. It was from reading that book that I began to believe that Barack Obama could be the kind of transformational leader that we Democrats have not seen since Kennedy or Roosevelt.

I have continued to support Obama’s candidacy since then, was an early member of the networking side of his website, and was a nearly small donor. But for most of the campaign thus far, I have felt that he, and the campaign, have been harkening back to his second book, “The Audacity of Hope.” While that book is also well written and interesting, it is the writings of a politician providing a political rationale for his candidacy, not a leader laying down a vision.

Today, that changed. Today, rather than using a speech to try to diffuse a political problem, Barack Obama took the ‘audacious step’ of using a political problem as an opportunity to address major social issues. Rather than trying to gloss over or candy-coat, he acknowledged the fact that all sides have some legitimate complaints, and all sides have tried to make some illegitimate hay out of the history of race relations in America. And once again, returning to the unique voice he displayed in “Dreams from my Father,” he pointed out that acknowledging this seeming contradiction could be the source of our greatest strength in moving forward. In short, whatever the outcome of the this nomination campaign or the general election, Barack Obama has re-established himself as the truly transformational leader of this campaign.