Commencement speech 3

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1. 

   birdboy Posted 4:34 am
   09 Jun 2005

   Obama '08Senetor Obama, you da man.
   Howard Dean recently said that 80% of Republicans are actually Democrats who don't know what's going on. OK, he's an incurable optimist, but if anyone could explain to those people what IS going on and what SHOULD be going on, it's Barack Obama. Just imagine what could happen if this guy was elected president in 2008. I'm going to go do that for a while.
   
   a liberal in redsville

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2. 

   Lisa Hymas Posted 5:36 am
   09 Jun 2005

   Dreamy sigh ...Get links to the audio and video of Obama's commencement address at Knox College here.  
   An excerpt with a hint o' green:
   Right now, all across America, there are amazing discoveries being made. If we supported these discoveries on a national level, if we committed ourselves to investing in these possibilities, just imagine what it could do for a town like Galesburg. Ten or twenty years down the road, that old Maytag plant could reopen its doors as an ethanol refinery that turned corn into fuel. ... And across the way, a new auto company could be busy churning out electric cars. The new jobs created would be filled by American workers trained with new skills and a world-class education.
   All of that is possible but none of it will come easy. Every one of us is going to have to work more, read more, train more, think more. We will have to slough off some bad habits -- like driving gas guzzlers that weaken our economy and feed our enemies abroad. Our children will have to turn off the TV set once in a while and put away the video games and start hitting the books. We'll have to reform institutions, like our public schools, that were designed for an earlier time. Republicans will have to recognize our collective responsibilities, even as Democrats recognize that we have to do more than just defend old programs.
   It won't be easy, but it can be done. It can be our future. We have the talent and the resources and brainpower. But now we need the political will. We need a national commitment.
   And we need each of you.
   
   

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3. 

   jdhlax Posted 3:16 am
   10 Jun 2005

   Rose Colored GlassesBarack Obama in not our great hope; he's not even the most progresive senator.  For example, he supports building military bases in Iraq, because he places the safety of U.S. troops, who have no business being there in the first place, above the lives of Iraqis.  He might be on our side on many issues, but we should avoid elevating him to some kind of great progressive hope.
   In general, it's very disappointing when progressives place someone in the position of being a savior.  In fact, there's no such thing.  If any significant change for the better is going to take place, it's going to have to start with US and spread to a large portion of the rest of the population.  It's not going to come from some magical leader.

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