It took a terrible situation, generations of wrongdoing, to produce such a wonderful person. Dr. King was wrought in a time so severe that people were waiting for him. They endured many hardships, hoping he'd lead them to redemption. He came by way of a pulpit and a message: "This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy."

The content of our national character

Would Dr. King be proud of today's state of affairs? I presuppose the answers to be twofold: no - war, persecution, and torture, we've been through this before - and yes - there is progress being made when people finally realize a white, Christian son-of-a-president is not any better at running this country than, say, the lone African American in the US Senate.

It took a terrible situation, once again, to open the eyes of the American people to this racially-neutral determination: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Thomas Paine said, "Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us." Character is the core value of the 'soul force.' It is somewhat indescribable and completely intangible. To give you a frame of reference, character is generally regarded as the counterpole to whatever Dick Cheney stands for.

And we didn't even elect him

Character has been almost non-existent in the current administration. It has been sorely lacking in most of our cultural leaders. Who is our RFK? Where is our Muhammad Ali? What about our John Lennon? When is our Gandhi coming? Why isn't Dr. Martin Luther King's spirit alive in one of us? In short: Can we get a leader?

We've encountered some historically bad times since Bush the Younger took over. But, worse news is that the bad times don't end when he leaves office; some of his worst decisions will last well beyond that glorious day. Internationally, we're vilified; domestically, we're instable; economically, we're deteriorating; and environmentally, we're devastated. Bad shape indeed (not to mention the two justices appointed). We need a leader? Can we get a leader?

Barack Obama for President

I hope we have the audacity, as a nation, to see character as it stares us in the face. The man I will vote for, the man I have affixed my expectations to, is at the threshold of power and he is a viable candidate willing to be transparent. He is the antidote to the political poison of the Bush administration. Sen. Barack Obama is a man of character, as far as I can see. He is the leader I have been waiting for. He is the (newly-appointed) captain of the 'soul force.'

This is Dr. King's dream realized. This is an opportunity harvested from the seeds sown in the civil rights movement. This is the fruit of their sacrifice. This is America, colorblind.

It has been a long and hard road for those who walked it and we, the voters, the constituency, we the people have the opportunity to vote based on character. We have the chance to move one step further toward equality. But, most important of all, we have the duty and the where-with-all to elect the best person for the job. We have 'soul force' and we're not afraid to use it. And just in the nick of time.