Nice speech!

I saw excerpts of Senator Obama's speech on race today. This isn't the first time his oratory has impressed, of course--he's a strong speechmaker. What impressed me the most was that this is the first time in a long, long while that I've heard a political speech with actual nuance. He acknowledged that both sides of the racial divide have legitimate grievances--I suspect only a man of at least partial African heritage could say that--while refusing to walk away from either side. Brilliant stuff.

Still, I'd like to see him approach the war in Iraq, the lagging economy, and our miserable health care situation with the same subtlety and honesty. Just because he was honest and open once doesn't forgive his politician's sins on all the other speeches. Still, he has one straightforward speech under his belt. That's one more than Hillary Clinton or John McCain have given.

CDs listened to today:

• Cuong Vu: Vu-Tet
• Edmund Rubbra: Symphony No. 4
• Usher: Confessions
• Nick Didkovsky: Amalia's Secret
• Dmitri Shostakovich: The String Quartets, disk 5
• Franz Schubert: Piano Quintet In A, "The Trout"
  
• Various Artists: Sounds Of The Seventies, 1973
• The Joggers: Solid Guild