I've read the speech. It brings tears to my eyes. I was waffling between Hillary and Obama.

Today, it's Obama.

Sent by Afi Scruggs | 12:15 PM ET | 03-18-2008

I suspect that many, like I, will read this speech today in wonder - that it had to be delivered at all and that it was never delivered before.

Sent by GregPC | 12:18 PM ET | 03-18-2008

I never believed that Obama had a chance to win the presidency because of his name. I thought it was just too great a liability. Today I believe he can win. He has shown that his character transcends his race and his name. If we reject him because of his minister we send a message that an African American is only acceptable if they can completely reject, and renouce everything about them that makes them African American. This would be unforunate. It is time to accept all of who we are as Americans, from the far right to the far left and move on.

Sent by Curry Greene | 12:29 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Sen. Obama has addressed the some of the most divisive issues facing our country with a kind and even handed realism indicative of a true leader.

He is so much more than just a candidate for office. He has eschewed the sound bite in favor of meaningful dialog. He is a true leader offering the American people a path out of quagmires that we have allowed to fester for generations.

Shame on us if we do not seize this opportunity to support and work with him to really change the world for all of us.

Sent by Patrick Kelly | 12:32 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Touching upon white resentment (from those who have nothing to do with past or current discrimination and oppression) toward special treatment for blacks and other minorities was very, very smart. It's not something whites are really allowed to talk about, so it's cool that he put it out in the open. I just hope he really means it and that it wasn't just political strategy.

Sent by Karen | 12:32 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Thank you for posting the transcript. It waa a privilege to read it, and I look forward to seeing it delivered by the Senator.

Sent by Jeff Gove | 12:32 PM ET | 03-18-2008

I have to agree with David Kurtz. The text was powerful, but the speech was somewhat less so. Still quite good, and miles above anything the other candidates have done, but perhaps not what I've come to expect from Sen. Obama.

It seems like every time he gives a speech, I get more excited at the notion that we may actually get to have this man as our president. Though, I still can't bring myself to believe it will happen.

Sent by Mike (Chicago) | 12:43 PM ET | 03-18-2008

I read the speech and thought "here's another JFK, only more real, more honest, more connected,and more unifying. This man is a true leader." If I wasn't an Obama supporter before, I am now.

Sent by Mike Magill | 12:46 PM ET | 03-18-2008

His speech was utterly intelligent and courageous. I was astounded by his ability to deliver such a nuanced response to Wright's sermons and to root Wright's words and emotions in history. I was most moved by Obama's refusal to wholly denounce Wright. I was growing weary of all the simplistic "denouncing" going on, which seemed--to a certain extent--to be a turning away from real issues, and I was beginning to think that Obama would ultimately just be politics as usual. There was no turning away in Obama's speech today. I suppose there are voters who will "denounce" him for not denouncing Wright, but I hope, hope, hope that voters (and those superdelegates) can see the morality, bravery, and brilliance of this candidate who just gave a most difficult and honest speech. I have no doubt that some of the speech was shaped for political effect--but I believe his desire to be president is not motivated by egotism but by his principles.

Sent by Michelle | 12:50 PM ET | 03-18-2008

It's the content and it is simply head-on honesty. It's everything I expected and am continually encouraged with his message.

Sent by Roger | 12:51 PM ET | 03-18-2008

I am truly inspired by this speech. I am very pleased he has brought so many issues to the forefront. I too was moved to tears reading it. He should be president.

Sent by Susan | 1:03 PM ET | 03-18-2008

This presidential race must go beyond the appearances of the candidates. It should not be about "staying the course" or who can answer the phone at 3am. Barack is the only candidate who has the guts, will, and bravery to face the issues that have brought us all to this point in time. Lessons can be gleaned from the past but solutions can only be found in the future. It is time to find solutions and look ahead to a better world for our children. I believe.

Sent by Rob | 1:07 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Today, I too, believed he could win. I am a white moderate and he convinced me that we need not "wish away" white and black racism, but "elevate what is right with America" over "all that is wrong [with it]."

He is my President.

Sent by Jim | 1:08 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Having heard Mr. Obama's speech today, I have never been more proud to be an American. Viewers in other countries could have no better demonstration, as Mr. Obama so eloquently expressed, of the "genius" of the American system: the fact that we can change.

Sent by Izzy-from-NYC | 1:10 PM ET | 03-18-2008

I wish it all could be so simple as a speech. But Americans the Stupid have heard them before and continue to listen to them. In the meantime corruption and lack of morality is what we have from our leaders, business, government, religious and media. Americans the Stupid have been given a pacifier of beer, entertainment, a credit card and 24 hours of misinformation to keep them in check. Can you name one issue that has been identified or prevented by the leaders? Yet a CEO walks away with millions, a politican becomes a lobbyest millionare, a religious one has a throne of gold and a talk show host gets 36 million for 3 hours. There is sometning wrong. A creator has never answered a prayer but He/She/It gave us a Garden of Eden the earth. Americans the Stupid are being screwed while the above leaders follow Omar the Tent Maker's philosophy of take the cash and let the credit go.

Sent by george crupper | 1:17 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Obama definitely denounced some of the statements of his ???former pastor???. He went on to say that he had heard ???controversial??? things from the pulpit before, but never heard Wright say anything against any group of people when they were together and that the church does a lot of good in the community like feeding the poor, housing the homeless, prison ministry, and AIDS/HIV programs.

The sad thing, is these programs are for BLACK people, the rhetoric goes like this ??? white people put black people into the streets (so we house them), they take food from their babies (so we feed them), they put our sons into prison (so we visit them), and infect our population, to lower the number of black people in America, (so we provide support for them).

His speech was really GOOD, it was convincing, and it you didn???t know more about the story, and more about these ???churches??? (which btw speak usually little about Christ, more about politics and social issues, and if it were a white church, would have (and it has happened) its tax-except status and be put out-of-business. It is alarming at the level of ignorance in our country and how we allow (especially the media) it to go on, unchallenged and uncorrected.

I am NOT challenging Obama???s sincerity, his patriotism, or his veracity ??? I only challenge that he has anything more than speeches. As wonderful as they are, they don???t offer solutions. Anyone can see the problems and have appropriate negative feelings about the problems ??? that only makes you a Joe on the street. I lament we don???t??? have a candidate that is offering leadership, not only emotional leadership (which Barack is doing excellently). This is my experience in these type of social/political churches, they raise emotions and the solution is ???follow me??? ??? but what have these organizations brought to America to reduce these problems? I can point to many more instances that they have inflated the problems, not solving them.

What makes you think Obama will have more to offer? From what examples and life experience will he draw from?

Sent by Tim S. | 1:25 PM ET | 03-18-2008

This guy will never draw the "Reagan" republicans and independents in the fall as he claims. He says one thing publicly and another in his private life. He cannot be trusted and yet another speech cannot change that. You quoted a bunch of blogs that have been fawning over this guy from the beginning, as has NPR/PBS and the rest of the media. You all must really want to lose in November.

Sent by texas voter | 1:31 PM ET | 03-18-2008

This speech elevates the political debate and conversation in America by exponential levels. Very powerful!

Sent by Paul Cromwell | 1:43 PM ET | 03-18-2008

We have a great opportunity at this point in our history to make meaningful change, and move more toward racial reconciliation than we've ever been in my lifetime, perhaps in history. Obama is our best hope for our future. I knew it when stood in 9 degrees of cold frigid weather in Springfield, Illinois the day he announced his candidacy, and it was strongly reaffirmed today when I listened to his speech with tears in my eyes. For a president to be truly a great leader, the people must believe in him. Barack Obama seems to me to be, finally, a candidate we can truly believe in.

Sent by Susan Faupel | 1:44 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Mr. Crupper's comments on "Omar the Tent Maker" show that he truly missed the message in Mr. Obama's speech. Shame on you.

Sent by Kate | 1:47 PM ET | 03-18-2008

what experiences did jesus draw from? what experiences did you draw upon as a child in your mothers womb?who do you worship, I go to church not to worship a man ie: Rev.Wright ,but to fellowship with others connected to the word of god, god bless us all each and every one of us,...........

Sent by carlethia | 1:49 PM ET | 03-18-2008

I also agree with David Kurtz, the delivery of the speech didn't quite match that which I envisioned after reading the full transcript; however, the fact that Obama gave the speech at all, and the content of the speech alone, is reason enough to make me love Obama even more than I did before today!

Sent by Alexis Heintz | 2:13 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Great speech, but it doesn't eradicate the fact Obama listened to that man without objection for 20 years. How could he do that if he believes as he says he does? Jimmy Carter left his own church when it barred blacks.

Sent by Colston Newton | 2:20 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Barack Obama is running for President, not Rev. Wright. If we all must insist on pegging Rev. Wrights words to Mr. Obama, then the question is,when was the last time did anyone, anywhere, ever heard Mr. Obama said anything like Rev. Wright or that he agreed with him? If you believe that Senator Obama believes this rhetoric, what has he said that caused anyone to think so? Are we going to let this campaign come down to race over substance, and if so, can we not then see why other countries are advancing while we are at a standstill? I would rather elect a candidate based on what they say, have done, plans to do, their character and their smarts -not based on race or gender as the media is trying to make it.

Sent by John | 2:24 PM ET | 03-18-2008

We have all witnessesd another in a long line of speeches by the soon-to-be President of The United States Mr. Barack Obama. This was a frank and honest speech. He has never promised to single-handedly change the racial dynamics in this country overnight but he is a man I will follow because he is walking in the direction I wish to go. In the interests of full disclosure I am a 33 yr. old white, male doctor and I consider Barack Obama a fellow-American and a brother. I have never before been more inspired by a politician in my, albeit short, life.

Sent by Tony Callan | 2:28 PM ET | 03-18-2008

A nation starved for leadership and ...finally some honesty that says I trust in the people and take the risk on stating what we all need to hear. This was a defining moment in our history and Mr. Obama's campaign. I have not felt conviction of this type since JFK. How revolutionary, working together to further our nation down the road to what has been our collective goal and birthright, a better way of life and an example of what a civilization/nation could be.This is our wake up call. Our founding fathers did not intend for our nation to be the responsiblity of professional politicians. Barack's speech reminds us that we share the responsiblity of "running" our country. It provokes the nation into a great debate that challenges our responsiblity as citizens to remain engaged and not leave the our governing the way we have to a separate political class. This is a call to activism at the most basic level. Not to accept the status quo of hatred and resentment from all sides. This is democracy in action. Even the naysayers must admit that the speech has provoked a positive engagement of the voters.

Sent by Ben R | 2:37 PM ET | 03-18-2008

I am honored to see our country through the eyes of a man like Barack Obama. It's really like nothing I have experienced in my lifetime. His candor and humility, his belief in the goodness of people and pride in his nation. This is a person who wants ALL of us to work together to lift ourselves up. I have never heard anyone in current politics speak from the heart like this, to refer to themselves as imperfect, to address controversy so head on, to sacrifice political reputation to say and do what's right. He represent what our nation can become. I know that regardless of the outcome of this election, we are witnesses to not just change, but evolution of our hearts and spirits. My heart is soaring. We can become a great nation, and I am so glad that Barack will put it all on the line in the endeavor to strive for betterment, to continue to perfect our union. This was an historic moment we all witnessed, the shedding of the politician, and the birth of a leader. This was more than a "speech made in 2008," this was a blueprint for leading this country again to greatness.

Sent by Kelly P | 2:38 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Obama didn't write that speech, he read it from a teleprompter. Don't give him credit for words that her hireed someone to write. I for one am sick of the dual rules; If you are white you can't ever make a comment on the performance of a black person because that might be racist. Obama can cry the black position instead of answering questions in a news conference. Today was an arranged stage performance constructed to pluck at our heart strings and cover up the main issue - Why did Obama stay at that church after hearing the racist language listed. it doesn't take 20 years to stand up top this. He lied this week and said he didn't hear any racist language. Today he said he did, but we need to understand the black issues he faces. I understand one issue - either you are an american and move immediately away from that language or you are part of that problem. too little - too late.

Sent by Jack | 2:40 PM ET | 03-18-2008

This manufactured affair is predicated on the idea that Obama supporters and fence-sitters are going to change how they feel about their candidate because he once sat in a pew and listened to a man talk. Seriously.

Sent by George de Man | 2:43 PM ET | 03-18-2008

If this was 'just a another campaign speech' then everything before and in the future uttered by all candidates running for office should be judged truly meaningless, because they pale in comparison. If this was just campaign speech... then what a campaign speech!!!!!
If you weren't at least a little moved by the openness and daring of these words, then you are beyond jaded.

Sent by michael | 2:44 PM ET | 03-18-2008

I like that he didn't talk down to the American people. He didn't try to cover up the race issue with touchy-feely hippy garbage. He was honest... Yes there are good people, there are bad people; there are racist people, there are tolerant people; BOTTOM LINE, we're all people, and we will all suffer unless we do something about our economy, the war, and GLOBAL WARMING.

Sent by Angela Vetri | 2:47 PM ET | 03-18-2008

The speech shows that Mr. Obma wants to lay a quilt trip on White America and that it's tiem for White America to make it up to those people it has trampled over for the last 200 or so years. Puhlease.

Sent by M. Caraballo | 3:00 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Barack Obama linked himself to Rev. Wright for 20 years and did not distance himself until he was questioned about the man's inflamatory rhetoric. For someone who has spoken so much about the power of speech, I wonder how he could have chosen to expose himself and his family to such damaging speech Sunday after Sunday.

Sent by Susan | 3:03 PM ET | 03-18-2008

@Jack: Obama's campaign has said that he wrote the most of the speech himself. And for all the heartstring-plucking Obama did, he also addressed the anger that both blacks and whites experience with race relations in America -- anger that you yourself express at the "dual rules". I suspect you did not actually read or listen to the entire speech.

Sent by Nick | 3:04 PM ET | 03-18-2008

A truly brilliant speech, probably the best from a politician in quite a while. So he didn't deliver it as well as he might have--this probably wasn't the day to emulate his former pastor. Speeches aren't everything, but Obama's ability to distill our complex social, economic and environmental problems into sincere relevance for all of us is a great foundation for a presidency worthy of the support of all citizens who really care about working toward a more perfect union.

Sent by Robert Smith | 3:30 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Obama's speech was absolutely wishy washy and a highly worded 'rationalization'.

Twenty years of attendance and the most O could do was say he disagreed with the statements (and then quickly shift to a parallel rationalization...nothing but an attempt at diffusion!)

Makes me really wonders whether O is truly that dense or extremely opportunistic and insulting of his audience's ability to see through this.

Crap is crap...bigotry is bigotry...racism is racism...sexism is sexism.

If you remain &/stay mute with statements/behaviors/individuals that are contrary to your position ...when you can leave/speak up...then you either support the position or are selling yourself.

I left my church when they took an anti-gay position, I have walked out on 'friend/family/acquaintance' situations when all those unacceptable slurs/refs occured re: african-americans, jews, latinos, arabs, muslims, women, etc, etc....

Am thoroughly UNimpressed with O speech/statements/actions!

Of course, my question would be if O's justification is acceptable, then does it excuse to individuals who hold other hard or 'static' biases? And if it does, then no one should suffer any recourse for making bigoted, derogatory or insulting comments...right???

Sent by kellam | 4:50 PM ET | 03-18-2008

It makes no difference if he wrote the speach himself or not. The fact is, that few politicians write their own speaches. What truely matters, is that the speach embodies the opinion of the politician. This speach was top-shef as is this candidate. Open your eyes america, You just saw a true leader in action.

Sent by Doug | 4:51 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Listening to Obama, I think I must feel the way that people felt about JFK. Obama feels like MY president.

I was and still am a huge Bill Clinton fan. I was and am a Carter supporter. But neither of these people left me feeling like I owned a piece of their presidency.

With Obama:
1. I believe that he is sincere, not perfect, but sincere,
2. I believe he does believe what he says (unlike other politicians),
3. He is incredibly bright, and also he is able to hone in his nuanced and complex views into ideas that people can connect with and support (unlike Kerry - whose nuanced views looked like equivocation to the general public),
4. Somehow, he is able to bring people into his vision of the future in a way that makes us feel like we own his candidacy - he is our candidate and would be our president.

Sent by Leah Jackman-Wheitner | 5:27 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Its a shame words do NOT match actions.
But actions speak louder than words. We should be judged not merely by words but by deeds. Facts are facts. Obama tried to hide this. He never quit or separated himself from this man until it became a liability for his campaign. So who is he, the man he wants you to believe he is or the man he is, the man who has followed and befriended and called this man his spiritual advisor. All the while Mr Obama defamed anyone near the Clinton campaign and tried to convince people that the good things Bill Clinton did were his negatives and that smacks of a Rove tactic and for a democrat I find that unconscionable and hardly change or hope for something fresh and different.

At this point fresh and different would be to draft Al Gore.

Sent by Jaime | 7:17 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Talk about kool-aid.

They guy threw his own Gramma under the bus for all to see to save his POLITICAL career. He used her for a clunky moral equivalence between her offhand remarks as an older person and a man that teaches, imparts and molds people to hate.

It's unbelievable the mental contortions you Obama's Witnesses must go through to rationalize your support.

Sent by deek | 10:06 PM ET | 03-18-2008

It is really a shame how slowly we as a society evolve. It will be a miracle if in our lifetimes we can move past religion, race, and other non-relevant issues to judge one's qualifications to lead our country.

It was not too long ago that it was considered "the Christian way" to force African Americans to drink water, eat food, and all together exist in "colored only" designations.

It was not all that long ago when it was considered "the Christian way" to be a slave owner.

The delivery and content of Obama's speech today was spot on. And quite frankly, anyone who heard it and didn't react with moved tears or some kind of hope....if YOU reacted with negativism and hate....YOU are the SAME as the slave owner in generations past. YOU are the bigot in 1955 that though Rosa Parks was wrong for refusing to sit at the back of the bus.

EVOLVE ALREADY!!!!!

All religions, churches, doctrines have antiquated notions of division, biases, and even hate. Look at your own church/religion, look at your own families. These divisions exist among us all. I think it is unfortunate that Wright's anger from his generation has come out in such a negative way and that his views are just as distorted now as perhaps his counterparts like Jerry Falwell and the white "christian" right. To me the views are just polar extremes.

We as a people need to move past religions and start being more concerned with the HUMAN race.

Sent by Sara - Chicago | 10:11 PM ET | 03-18-2008

To all of you who are crying out that Obama's a closet racist, Obama has a white mom who raised him. He was on Harvard Law Review and grew up in Hawaii for God's sake. He's not a man who has shunned the white world; indeed, he's had at least one foot in it for his entire life. So stop with the paranoia about Obama being involved in some black conspiracy to make white people feel really bad about a couple hundred years of slavery, sharecropping, firehoses and biting dogs, discriminatory housing practices, lousy schools, and black people not really being allowed to vote until the mid-60s. Secondly, many of you are absolutely wrong about Obama's moral duty to leave his church if he disagrees with some of his pastor's remarks. If you leave an organization, you instantly lose the ability to influence it. Leaving is the easy way out, but it does not allow for the growth of the organization, its members, or its leadership. Millions of American Catholics were disgusted by the handling of the pedophilia crisis, but many stuck with the church. Does that mean they lack integrity, does it mean they are pedophiles or accessories to pedophilia? Obama's church membership doesn't make him a racist, just like Catholic laity aren't pedophiles merely because a few priests are. Thirdly, it appears many Americans think liberation theology is wonderful when practiced in Apartheid South Africa by, say, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. But when an American pastor adheres to it, that just hits a little too close to home. America isn't South Africa you say. Well, during Wright's time, America wasn't much different from South Africa, with government enforced racial segregation, brutal law enforcement methods, and marauding hit squads often encouraged by public office holders. No doubt America's come a long way since then, but the bad old days aren't that old. If whites had a collective trauma akin to what black people went through, we'd be a little jaded and skeptical too.

By the way, where is Senator Clinton on this? Certainly she could vouch for Senator Obama's character, state that she's never known him to be a hater of white people, ask the American public to pull the level of debate out of the gutter. Everyone knows this whole debate hurts Obama in the general election if he gets there, which looks very likely. Why isn't Senator Clinton taking the moral high ground for the sake of her party? So much for leadership.

Sent by Jonathan | 10:15 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Sen. Obama's speech was a moving sociological oration-- a hybrid education of racial american history, and personal explanation of religious belief. Yet within this eloquent diatribe, there was a defiant rationalization of the radical religious figure Rev. Wright represents. Yes, racial tension exists in this country, but when you are a public figure held up to extreme scrutiny, you will be scrutinized. This kind of connection is a liability, and Obama has found a brilliant way of contextualizing this psuedo-zealot's rantings as a side-effect of white supremacy.
A very smart move. Racial issues do permeate the American reality, but rather than mediate this issue, he has escalated it, painting himself as the "totem" candidate that he has been hinting at all along. His campaign has long been implying that a vote for Obama is a vote for MLK, JFK, RFK, and the entire Civil Rights Movement, as well as all Hopes, Dreams, and the Future. This seals the deal. Could he be more loaded? And what about the separation of Church and State? He has long been rather religious-y and preacher like himself in his speeches.
There is no doubt that this kind of speak is lovely, and contains a social conscious, but it is being employed here as a deflection of criticism. Social movement leaders such as Martin Luther King did not use their positions as tactical political platforms, it was not a "strategy". Obama's claim of "We can do it", is more like "Trust Me, I Can Do It". And maybe he can. But now it sounds like he has healing America's racial & social wounds single-handedly, or at least symbolically, #1 on his agenda, as well as all that other stuff he needs to do. You know, like the war, and the economy....
As soon as he can figure out how to really put that into words.

Sent by APR | 11:11 PM ET | 03-18-2008

It was breathtaking, real, heartfelt, thoughtful and honest in the manner of baring the realities of the American people and its culture. I have not heard anything like it...ever in my lifetime. I am 54 years old. I am forever amazed how Barack always..not only takes the high road but builds it. He's my guy!

Sent by Nancy Dvojack | 11:21 PM ET | 03-18-2008

Bravo! Such strength and courage! His speech made me face my own "racism" and gave me more insight into Black anger. Thank you NPR and Barack Obama.

Sent by flora lovejoy | 3:52 AM ET | 03-19-2008

I am a white American who witnessed the enormous changes of the sixties.
The confrontations between those who tried to maintain generations of status quo white dominance and those who had finally stood up against it are still strong in my memory. Now, we have a product of those struggles, a man borne of white and black parents, embodying the best qualities of both races, having been exposed to the best and the worst qualities of both worlds; and having taken advantage of the hard fought opportunities of the civil rights movement. Shouldn't we all be proud of this evolutionary product of our collective culture? Why should anyone argue that Senator Obama isn't black or white enough? Senator Obama lived in both worlds. He sees the world we now live in and is calling for us to unite as one America to begin to resolve long standing problems. A government, for once, that serves the wishes of it's people, not just the rich, the lobbyist, and power brokers. That works for me.

Sent by Rich Plodzien | 10:30 AM ET | 03-19-2008

Jonathon - I TOTALLY agree with you! How can anyone label Obama a racist because of the views of his preacher...it's ludacris. I cannot tell you how many Catholic sermons I have heard that are anti-gay...it's wrong, it's immoral, it's inhumane, blah, bah, blah. Does this make me prejudiced against gay people? PEEEASE...this entire situation has become a vehicle for the "4th Estate" and all of the arm chair pundits to appear "tough" on the man because they "supposedly" gave him a free ride in the beginning of his campaign. I just hope that the people who subscribe to less than 4 hours a day of the "numbing and dumbing down" by mainstream television media don't buy into this garbage - but we all know that's an impossible likelihood.

Sent by Diane | 1:57 AM ET | 03-20-2008

"It is really a shame how slowly we as a society evolve. It will be a miracle if in our lifetime we can move past religion, race, and other non-relevant issues to judge one's qualifications to lead our country".
"EVOLVE ALREADY!!!!! " Sarah in Chicago
********
This was my reaction to Obama's speech, it gave me faith that it is possible for us to evolve. Mr. Obama is "precisely" the person to address this issue. The United States needs to move pass the "racial discussion." It is getting very tired.

Sent by Marcia McGibbon | 5:13 PM ET | 03-20-2008