Snapshots from Obama's vision of what America should be
In his second memoir in 11 years, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, Sen. Barack Obama paints a picture of America as it is and as he believes it should be.
Obama, 45, tackles faith, politics, values, race, opportunity and the United States' place in the global village in the 288-page tome from Crown Publishing Group scheduled to hit bookstore shelves Tuesday.
The title of Obama's new book comes from the keynote address he delivered at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004, in which he said the "audacity of hope" is "God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead."
The phrase, "audacity of hope," Obama explains in his book, is one he first heard in a sermon by his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.
Here are some snapshots from Obama's vision of "hope" and his observations of the political world:
On democracy and values:
"In a country as diverse as ours, there will always be passionate arguments about how our democracy works. But our democracy might work a bit better if we recognized that all of us possess values that are worthy of respect: if liberals at least acknowledged that the recreational hunter feels the same way about his gun as they feel about their library books, and if the conservatives recognized that most women feel as protective of their right to reproductive freedom as evangelicals do of their right to worship."
On his guiding principle:
"I find myself returning again and again to my mother's simple principle -- 'How would that make you feel?' -- as a guidepost for my politics. It's not a question we ask ourselves enough, I think; as a country, we seem to be suffering from an empathy deficit.
"We wouldn't tolerate schools that don't teach, that are chronically underfunded and understaffed and underinspired, if we thought that the children in them were like our children. . . . And it's safe to assume that those in power would think longer and harder about launching a war if they envisioned their own sons and daughters in harm's way."
On political ideology:
"I reject a politics that is based solely on racial identity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or victimhood generally. I think much of what ails the inner city involves a breakdown in culture that will not be cured by money alone, and that our values and spiritual life matter at least as much as our GDP."
On phony politicians:
"Nothing is more transparent than inauthentic expressions of faith -- such as the politician who shows up at a black church around election time and claps (off rhythm) to the gospel choir or sprinkles in a few biblical citations to spice up a thoroughly dry policy speech."
On foreign policy:
"Why invade Iraq and not North Korea or Burma? Why intervene in Bosnia and not Darfur? Are our goals in Iran regime change, the dismantling of all Iranian nuclear capability, the prevention of nuclear proliferation, or all three? . . . Perhaps someone in the White House has clear answers to these questions. But our allies -- and for that matter our enemies -- certainly don't know what those answers are. More important, neither do the American people."
On his first impressions of President Bush:
"I had found the president to be a likable man, shrewd and disciplined but with the same straightforward manner that had helped him win two elections; you could easily imagine him owning the local car dealership down the street, coach ing Little League, and grilling in his backyard -- the kind of guy who would make for good company so long as the conversation revolved around sports or kids."
On many Americans' yearning for spiritual connection:
"They want a sense of purpose, a narrative arc to their lives, something that will relieve a chronic loneliness or lift them above the exhausting, relentless toll of daily life. They need an assurance that somebody out there cares about them, is listening to them -- that they are not just destined to travel down a long highway toward nothingness.
"If I have any insight into this movement toward a deepening of religious commitment, perhaps it's because it's a road I have traveled."
cfalsani @suntimes.com
