Barack Obama: Chivalrous & Magnanimous In Victory
One of the tests of a good leader is how he/she talks about the opponents in the wake of a heady victory. Barack Obama scored full marks in his speech delivered after his triumph in Montana primary. Now he stands poised to win the Democratic Party nomination to take on Senator John McCain in the US presidential polls.
I listened to the Obama speech live…its was oratory at its best, and the words flowed with sincerity and humility, befitting a potential leader of a great nation. Obama began his celebratory speech with a fullsome praise of his Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton. Even his hysterical fans soon realized that it was not a formal and ritualistic acknowledgment of the performance and capabilities of Clinton…He really meant it. From then on the mood of his cheering supporters changed.
Obama knows well that he would need the full backing of Clinton’s supporters in his historic march towards the White House. He said: “Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign not just because she’s a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she’s a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight.” (For Obama’s full speech pl click here…)
By his chivalrous and magnanimous comments, Obama has extended a hand of friendship and cooperation towards Hillary Clinton with a plea to forget the bitterness of 17 months of intense rivalry. He prayed for starting a process of healing, not only of the wounds suffered during the present campaign but also by the country itself in the past few years.
Obama even made comments that should please Bill Clinton no end. Obama has now squarely placed the ball in Hillary Clinton’s court for the future course of action within the Democratic Party.
How will Clinton react once the reality sinks in? See here… Meanwhile uncommitted Senate superdelegates say they are unlikely to weigh in with endorsements for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) until Wednesday at the earliest. More here…
Will there be hard bargaining for Democratic nomination for the post of Vice President? It seems so. The Reuters says: “Hillary Clinton refused to surrender to Barack Obama in the Democratic race for the U.S. presidency on Tuesday or to acknowledge she had reached the end of the road in her bid for the White House.” More here…
And then Reuters asks: “Now that he has sealed the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination, should Barack Obama choose vanquished rival Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate?” More here…
The Boston Globe says: “But even as Hillary Clinton sends mixed signals about her willingness to leave the race, Obama, unlike his counterparts in recent presidential cycles, is not exactly sprinting across the finish line.” More here…
Now let’s see what the Republican Party presidential nominee has to say:”Republican presumptive presidential nominee John McCain on Tuesday slammed rival Democrat Barack Obama, casting the younger senator as a candidate who represents the ‘wrong change’.” More here…
