I haven’t read much of the commentary, but I thought this Obama speech was pretty darn brilliant. Not only did he convincingly refute the worries that he was too close to his fiery and eccentric pastor, he wove the issue into a broader narrative about race, resentment, and injustice in America. Not only that, but Obama gave the best articulation I’ve seen yet of how his “unity” theme flows into his policy positions: we can overcome what divides us precisely by dedicating ourselves to a vision of the common good, a vision oriented around rectifying those injustices which give rise to division and resentment in the first place.

This isn’t to say I buy all of Obama’s policy prescriptions, but he’s shown that he can tell a compelling story about them and how they fit into his larger vision. And can you imagine any other major politician in the US giving a speech this honest and reflective? Obama continues to sound like a real person and not a poll-tested automaton (or at least less so than most other pols), which, to me, is a big part of his appeal.