“Four score and seven years ago…” my father’s mantra took on a life all of its own.

His consistent reprisal of the revered Gettysburg Address taught me one thing—all things are possible.

Thus as we begin this much anticipated Democratic National Convention today with an African American front and center as the leading candidate poised to assume the top seat in all the land, I gotta take a minute to reminisce and reflect. It’s an ode to my father, a tribute of sorts to all those who have worked the hardest and and suffered …well, you know the rest.

Nearly two years to the day, November 2006, my father transitioned into the realm of spiritual being, but his whole life was lived with a level of unmatched voracity, fearlessness, and wisdom of … well, you know the rest.

Thus, it’s fitting that today, his day of creation (August 25), be a time of upliftment for the masses toward all the dreams he instilled in me and my four siblings; A day when all fathers, blessed as mine undeniably was, praise grace for the heartfelt lessons they have shared with their beloved.

My life is a testament to both my father and the dream he shared with me. So, on this day, his birthday, I take pause, pause to honor his courage and the unparalleled audacity of Barack Obama. In making this universe “one world” for all, in spite of all the blighted obstacles, the hatred and ignorance, he strives for atonement. Certainly, the time has come, don’t you think?

It’s largely a family affair, one’s growth from the point of naivete to the land of spiritual and cultural awareness. And tonight, Michelle Obama, the incumbent’s strong, resilient, proud better half addresses the nation with that wisdom and those tenements clearly on display. She will speak glowingly of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Let’s listen in…you too dad.

News agencies announced Barack Obama has made the devastatingly heartbreaking, yet totally necessary phone calls of rejection to Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and longtime Indiana Senator Evan Bayh. So, unless the presumptive wants another round in the ring with the tag team of Bill & Hill, it looks like Delaware Senator Joseph Biden is the man up for the job of 2^nd-in-command of our great, though totally struggling, U.S. of A.

Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. has that critical edge of well-rounded foreign policy experience in these times of war and strife, having served as a U.S. Senator since 1972. The well respected pol has risen to chair the Foreign Relations Committee, and is a member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security.

Therefore, if Obama chooses Biden, and all indications point toward the 65-year-old, then he must make anew an old political animal. His task will be to change this noble relic of traditional politics into a chameleon of sorts who can and will serve all the people. And, if Obama is going to go up against a war hero like John McCain, then Biden’s 33 years of foreign policy expertise may be just the ticket that’s needed.

With the Democratic National Convention beginning Monday, Obama has said he will announce his final choice today early-afternoon first in a text message to supporters. And, with McCain nipping at his heels in the polls, here’s hoping whomever he chooses is ready for a sprint.

Photo courtesy Getty Images

“Yo, all I need is one mic, one beat, one stage…”

Jerome Corsi’s “The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality” is, quite simply, an error-filled, personal attack on the media-hounded junior Senator from Chi-town. The critical flaw of Corsi’s thesis, that Obama is essentially a leftist wanderer intent on leading our nation astray, diminishes the impact of what could have been a critical look into the psyche of this new American movement known as “Obamamania.”

Obama has stressed time and time again that he is a man fully open to the idea of change and, as such, will not be imprisoned by the long reigning cult of political game playing. The Democratic candidate for president of the United States promised to listen, study and even make use of effective Republican strategies as he grows his ideology and builds bridges toward a broader coalition.

During his recent overseas trek, he visited both Palestinian and Israeli officials, despite vital historical conflict between these two nations that remains cloaked in each of their senses of entitlement to the vast land there. In short, he has not allowed himself to be limited by one political stance over another, ever exploring ways to bring the best of all the parts together.

“This hood politics…Acknowledge it”

Still, Corsi argues that Obama’s politics will weaken our nation, and leave us open to even more international threats of war (Is that possible? More so than we have already?), and further cripple our already recession-bound economy. And given that, the author is sadly mistaken, rendering his novel nothing more than a 384-page waste of tree flesh.

“Yo, all I need is one mic…

All I need is one mic.. that’s all I need”

Our next president finds himself in a trick-bag, ever hounded by the prying media that he can never afford to turn his back on. During a recent speech before the National Association of Black Journalists and other minority writers, Obama was asked whether or not he would provide equal access to that brethren; availability on par with what he offers up to all the mainstream outlets. Seems there was growing concern Obama was not going to make every effort necessary to keep journos-of-color in the loop.

Obama weighed those issues, then adeptly assured all concerned he would not disappoint in heeding their message: “If you all were covering me when nobody wanted to cover me, then you should be able to cover me when everybody wants to cover me.”

“All I need is one life, one try, one breath I’m one man…

What I stand for speaks for itself, they don’t understand…”

(“One Mic” lyrics courtesy of Nasir Jones a.k.a. Nas.)

We need it. We buy it even when we can’t afford it. And, we even went to war over it.

Oil.

As the sparring presidential candidates collide intellectually over the issue of resuming domestic offshore drilling in the coastal states, we as Americans are faced with truly dire options. Of course, the price of gas, now heading near $5 per gallon, is a factor of paramount proportions. The average citizen just can’t afford to meet these skyrocketing prices, especially at a time when the economy has taken a severe downturn of its own.

A recent Rasmussen Reports survey concluded that 67 percent of voters believe drilling should be allowed off the coasts of California, Florida and other states. It went on to report that nearly all voters are worried about rising gas and energy prices, with 79 percent being “very concerned” and another 16 percent being “somewhat” perplexed.

Barack Obama has decided to give in just a bit to the idea of opening up our coasts to such activity, while stressing his plans to continue the search for safer, alternative energy production strategies. And, of course, John McCain feverishly supports the idea of extracting the nearly 18 billion barrels of crude oil that lie beneath our coastal waters.

“…We have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage — I don’t want to be so rigid that we can’t get something done,” Obama recently said.

Yet there remains fierce resistance to the notion of such drilling in this country. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been steadfast in ruling against any vote on the practice, even as Democratic support for the idea seems to be rapidly expanding.

We’re all aware of the gaping taxes and ecological pitfalls oil production and distribution may ultimately have on our environment. We also know how much less cheddar we carry in our wallets these days. It’s our call.

Black folks seem to have their own barometer in gauging right from wrong in the realm of politics, and this particularly holds true when the subject is one of their own. Across communities and even within families, African descendants now here in America always seem to hold our own to higher standards, even when those standards may not be humanly possible.

Barack Obama has rejuvenated a hope in Black America that has not been uttered nor felt since the days of legendary Civil Rights martyr Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That distinction carries heightened meaning nowadays as poverty has taken a front seat in the homes of most minority citizens, Black men continue to make up an unprecedented number of the incarcerated and affordable healthcare becomes more of a faded reality.

Thus, as he runs for the coveted Oval Office, Obama must be careful not to offend his core-Black supporters, many of whom are already far beyond being simply disenchanted. And, thus, the tightrope act, fairly or Not begins, as he attempts to appease this base,while simultaneously advocating a national agenda for all citizens. You see, the Democratic incumbent is running for commander-in-chief of all America, and not just Blacks. This puts Obama in a precarious position. And, how he will face this tremendous balancing act before him is something only he and his closest aides know at this point.

For instance, Obama was heckled during a recent campaign speech in St. Petersburg, Florida, when a group of Black men held up a banner that read “What about the Black community, Obama?” After finally being handed a mic during the question-and-answer period that followed, an unidentified protester asked: “Why is it that you have not had the ability to not one time speak to the interests and even speak on behalf of the oppressed and exploited African-American community or Black community in this country?”

And, even in the neighborhoods of NYC, African Americans express some concern that Obama is not addressing the needs of the darker class. “I know he’s [Obama] running for president…but he’s got to remember us, he can’t forget about us,” said a middle-aged Black man, who claimed he was a pastor, riding the A train Uptown recently.

Even Deloris, a 41-year-old home-health aide, expressed fear. “I’m going to vote for Barack Obama, but I don’t really know if anything will change. I don’t know…” Deloris said.

Perhaps no other leader in history has had to face such a delicate set of circumstances. Barack has to bring the two Americas together without offending or dismissing either. So far, he seems to have the honesty and integrity to face this issue head on. And for that, we can all agree THE MAN’S GOT COURAGE.

Photo: Courtesy Willie J. Allen, Jr. /St. Petersburg Times

Comedian Chris Rock on former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell: “What do you mean he speaks so well? He’s an … educated man! How [do you] expect him to sound? ‘He speaks so well.’ What are you talking about? What voice were you expecting to come out of his mouth? … ‘I be Prez o dent!’.”

This is an old joke made by Rock in which he makes fun of onlookers who complimented, in all seriousness, how one of the [then] highest ranking Blacks in the Bush Administration, Colin Powell, “speaks so well.” As if to be African American and somehow have full use of your vowels when speaking is an enormous and wondrous feat. Of course, this would be insulting to any intelligent individual.

It is just as insulting to assume Democratic nominee Barack Obama is “presumptuous” because he appears presidential on the campaign trail. So what, he rides as part of motorcades, and seeks the counsel of world leaders. He is running for the world’s ultimate job — U.S. commander-in-chief. So, he may want to come off as somewhat confident, serious, intelligent, capable; and, as having strong leadership qualities. Obama and John McCain appear presidential in public, because we, as voters, must believe that they are qualified to lead our nation; we have to have faith in their abilities.

Therefore, we should be concerned if either of the two presumptives, Republican or Democrat, were to swing their heads low, muffle their words; and, not travel beyond comfortable borders. You have to dress for the job you want, not for the one you have. And, Barack looks pretty well outfitted to me.

As America’s Civil War came to a close, and after veterans had returned home broken in some way from having experienced traumatic, life-threatening combat initiatives, those men were said to have suffered from ’soldier’s heart’.

Is this John McCain?

In all fairness, let’s take a closer look at Republican presumptive and Arizona senator John Sidney McCain III. This “hero” candidate was born in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone to Admiral John and Roberta (Wright) McCain.

So far, the most fascinating part of McCain’s story revolves around his undeniable devotion to America. It is fact that he endured torture while being held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam for five years when, due to his admiral father’s powerful political connections, he could have instantly been sent home.

As the story goes, he was a Navy Aviator shot down over Vietnam in 1967 and imprisoned in Hanoi, mostly in solitary confinement. After Vietnamese officials found out about his famous lineage, they offered up the younger McCain’s freedom. But, he chose to remain a prisoner in Hanoi, and insisted that POWs held much longer than he—be freed first.

McCain has a soldier’s heart, though maybe not the condition documented in earlier analysis, which is now diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder. Senator John McCain has the heart of a soldier-warrior; he is undeniably courageous, he perseveres, and he forgives. Even after his devastating POW experience, the Senator has long since been a leading advocate in reconciling diplomatic relations between the U.S. and ‘Nam.

However, this warrior is now 71, naturally slower, and sometimes forgetful of vital historical facts. Justifiably so, this causes some concern because he’s running for commander-in-chief at perhaps the most critical time in our nation’s history. What’s more, he’s running against one of the most idealistic, energetic and intellectual people the political scene has seen in years. In facing Barack Obama, he’s got to be on top of his game.

How it all plays out remains to be seen… They say you can never take down a true soldier; his heart won’t let him lose. But this too remains to be seen.

It’s official, Barack Obama is a man of—and for—the world.

After visiting dignitaries and citizens in Israel and the West Bank, Obama made a stopover in Germany where he told a cheerfully adoring crowd of more than 200,000, that we are one voice in this world. “Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for president, but as a citizen — a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world,” he said at the expansive Tiergarten park in Berlin Thursday.

The Berlin crowd seemed genuinely enamored by the man whose cries of unity, irrespective of race, background, faith or homeland, have made him an enigma all over the globe.

Obama stressed that the world nations coming together was not an option, if we plan to survive this world-in-crisis. “It is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity,” the Senator exclaimed.

Meanwhile, John McCain and his campaign this week were vastly overshadowed in the media by Obama’s international flavor. McCain even opined that Obama’s time on the worldwide stage was presumptuous and ill-timed. The Republican contender claimed he wouldn’t have made such a trip until he was no longer a presidential candidate, but had been seated as the actual commander-in-chief.

Some local German papers were also a little suspicious of Obama’s visit. The media there expressed some concern that an Obama presidency would mean a call for Germany to contribute more combat troops in bolstering the battle in Afghanistan. A very unpopular war among citizens there, Germany has faced growing international pressure to redeploy troops in aiding the U.S.-led battle against the Taliban.

Still, Obama, graceful and in full rock-star mode, continued to preach his view of one world for all men. “The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.”

Today (Friday), the Democratic presumptive took his plea for international unity to France, where he’s already met with President Nicolas Sarkozy. “Human rights must prevail [in Afghanistan],” Sarkozy adamantly protested during their joint press conference, even hinting that France may up their current redeployment efforts in that war-torn region.

Next up, Britain.

Photo: Reuters

McCain and Obama and the killing fields…

We already know that Barack Obama wants to pull American troops out of Iraq. And, whether he can actually manage such a daunting task in just 16 months, remains to be seen. As for those adamant he may be a bit too rigid in his 16-month agenda, he allows that he may refine his vision based on talks with top military commanders.

More importantly, because members of Al-Qaida are the alleged criminals that actually assaulted the U.S. during the vicious 9/11 attacks, Obama is urging Americans to shift their focus away from Iraq to defeating the Taliban and Al-Qaida forces in Afghanistan.

Senator John McCain, on the other hand, has been quoted as saying our country will remain at war with Iraq for as long as it takes, even if that means another 100 years. That’s when McCain isn’t mixing up vital foreign facts, like the difference between Sunnis and Shiites, two very distinct and powerful sects of the Muslim faith.

McCain, a.k.a. George-W.-Bush the sequel, and his strategy to focus on Iraq, will only mean that the death toll for Americans and Iraqis, soldiers and civilians, will continue to rise. Most recent Department of Defense statistics put American military personnel casualty levels at around 4,000. The Iraqi death count, however, is almost impossible to chronicle, with varying statistics reported—most of which are misleading and underestimated.

The Iraqi Body Count Database, which monitors violent civilian deaths there, estimates that, as of this month, there are an estimated 90,000 casualties of war. General information on Iraqi casualties is less consistent, but reports overall conclude one million dead.

Meanwhile, Obama’s heading off to Iraq and Afghanistan, where our forces are fighting as a part of this global “war on terror.” He will support our troops (the real heroes), get straightforward answers on our defense policies; and, uncover ways to mediate alliances—build bridges.

But the question remains, what is war good for? Absolutely nothing.

Photo credit: REUTERS/Damir Sagolj (IRAQ)