It's not about electing Obama. It's about electing a president.

Barack,

I'd like to thank you for all you have done to lead us so far. I know you'll keep going because you've still got a technically insurmountable delegate lead and your message is predicated on belief and hope and looking at how we rule ourselves in a different way.

In many ways, you are the opposite of Hillary Clinton. Besides the demographic obvious -young, male, tall, dark-skinned- you are also respectful of your opponent. You congratulate her on her wins when necessary -she does not even mention your name at all when it's her turn to do so. You maintain your campaign theme and values regardless of the situation of the day -she shifts like the wind in her message and her mood.
You speak directly to us in your ads -Hillary just approves her own soundbites and the trumped up charges and scare-tactic allegories of proxies. Hillary fights with her fists and refuses to admit she can and has made mistakes -you fight with your mind and acknowledge that you're not infallible or perfect but elegantly capable of taking lessons.

Hillary asks us to trust her to take care of us while we go about our lives -you ask us to trust ourselves and to take part in making this country and all of our lives better.

We -you and I- suffered a small defeat last night and it was frustrating in the face of the wave of inspiration you've built, but I'd like to thank you for your grace and for reminding me that I had been starting to assume too much. I had been letting you become the proxy for my hopes and the redemption of this nation's history of oligarchy, international prima noctis, fear-mongering, class warfare, racism, slavery and xenophobia.

I am reminded that you are just a man -a great man- but no savior or redeemer. You will make a wonderful and generationally-defining president and I will be proud to have lived through this time. I will continue to support you with my head and my heart. But I am reminded that I have to do my part as well. If I want change and progress and redemption, I have to bear my own water along side you. I have to take part and do more than wish your success.

This is what you were trying to tell me when you said "We are the change we've been waiting for." I was right here the whole time. I just never realized how powerful I was until you asked me to look in the mirror.

You are my president, Barack. But I am your general. Thank you for asking me to participate. I am glad to be reminded that you have done so.

-Scott

These feelings of yours which you describe are very precious ones. I, too, find certain lines in Obama's speeches very inspiring. The particular line you quoted is charged with the enthusiasm of people like you. I don't think that line would have suffered if Obama had quoted its source, June Jordan, a Jamaican American feminist poet. It's a matter of knowing which words he borrows and which ones he creates.