"We need a teacher."

I just think this blog entry by Will Richardson says what I would like to say about the speech by Barack Obama yesterday about race: We need a teacher (as president).

I couldn't agree more. THAT is what should truly qualify someone as "the education president."

As Will writes: "We need someone who can create some lesson plans for the millions of us who want to engage, want to contribute, want to work to solve the problems together. We need someone who I can hold up as a role model for my own children as a steward for the environment, as a peace maker, as a listener, as a deep thinker."

I've met Barack...and he lives three blocks from me. He's a gentleman, a reconciler, and a humanist. He believes in the possibility of goodness, and doesn't expect people who are different from himself to be evil or untrustworthy (as the Bush gang seems to). And he isn't just a great speaker. (He was editor of the Harvard Law Review...takes some brains!) He's also actually done some real work, in community organizing (cf. Aaron's posts).

Personally, I think Hilary would be better as Senate Majority Leader, with Barack as president. In such an arrangement, he can benefit tremendously from her intelligence while providing a unifying force for the country and the world, and avoiding the slide back into the raw political confrontation of the (Bill) Clinton years.