BARACK OBAMA'S MESSAGE OF HOPE

It's as though he came out of nowhere. Barack Obama is now being mentioned as a possible candidate for president in 2008. I knew little about him except that I remember he gave an outstanding speech at the otherwise boring 2004 Democratic Convention (the Republican convention was even more boring). There are signs that conservatives are taking Barack quite seriously as they are already sending out their Fox attack dogs like O'Reilly to call him "Osama Obama."

"The Audacity of Hope", subtitled "Thoughts on Reclaiming The American Dream" is not Mr. Obama's first book. His first book was "Dreams From My Father." Barack Obama is of mixed heritage or as he describes himself "...a black man of mixed heritage" with ancestors in Zaire and Hawaii. His father left his mother when Barack was two and his mother raised both him and his sister with very little help from any man. As a child, Barack lived in Chicago, Hawaii and Indonesia at various times.

After college, he worked in social work for a few years before going to law school. After practicing law for a short time, he ran successfully for the Illinois State Senate where he served for six years. He lost a race for Congress but in 2004, was elected against all odds to the U.S. Senate.

I found this to be one of the most refreshing books by a politician that I have ever read. What I found particularly encouraging is that Mr. Obama has a sense of humility that is totally lacking in most of our "national leaders" particularly the president. Here's a short excerpt from the prologue of the book that illustrates this trait:

"This isn't to say that I know exactly how to 'change our politics and civic life'. I don't. Instead what I offer is something more modest: personal reflections of those values and ideals that led me to public life."

Still in the prologue of the book, Barack stakes out a position that is very close to my personal beliefs:

"I am angry about policies that consistently favor the wealthy and powerful over average Americans, and insist that government has an important role in opening up opportunity to all. I believe in evolution, scientific inquiry and global warming. I believe in free speech, whether politically correct or incorrect, and I am suspicious of using government to impose anybody's religious beliefs--including my own--on nonbelievers."

Mr. Obama organizes his book fairly simply from many of the most important aspects of life. The nine chapters are as follows:

One: Republicans and Democrats

Two: Values

Three: Our Constitution

Four: Politics

Five: Opportunity

Six: Faith

Seven: Race

Eight: The World Beyond Our Borders

Nine: Family

I'm not going to summarize each and every chapter but here are a few highlights from the book:

In the opening chapter, Mr. Obama does not "demonize" the Republicans. He instead laments the loss of the time when members of both parties could sit down and reason out legislative differences without calling each other names. He admits to being a Liberal Democrat but also admits that the Democratic Party has become the arty of reaction. He lists the areas of reaction toward the "ill conceived" war in Iraq (which he publicly opposed in 2002) as looking like Democrats are suspicious of all military action. He criticizes his own party for being afraid to argue values and faith.

Without being too simplistic, Obama lists as a major influence on his life the former Senator from Illinois, Paul Simon who he said possessed the "sense of empathy" which Barack describes at the heart of the Golden Rule. He emphasizes that deeds, not words, are needed to prove what values really mean to the politician.

His chapter on the Constitution praises those who truly follow it and condemns those in power who have decided that "habeas corpus and separation of powers were niceties that only got in the way."

Each chapter exhibits a wisdom that is remarkable in current times of "hate" speech and outright false advertising like that used in campaigns. In his chapter about politics, Barack is refreshing in his humility in admitting that he was lucky to win his Senate race against less than sterling opposition. But, he also includes some interesting insights as to what is really important in politics. He points out that the single most important job and cause for anxiety for each senator comes when they have to vote on legislation. While this may seem obvious, Mr. Obama details the numerous issues, values and influences on each vote that cause each Senator problems.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK

Mr. Obama writes in a very entertaining style. He doesn't try to "dazzle us" with complex phrasing and a William Buckley-like vocabulary. Instead, much of this book reminds me of having a conversation with someone I really enjoy talking to. Barack includes a number of facts about himself that show the humility and humanity I wrote about earlier.

In an age where children and "political wives" seem to be window-dressing, Obama both praises his wife and admits to doubts about how good a father and husband he is. There are times when his writing brought tears to my eyes when he describes how tough things were for his mother and how tough things are for his wife. But, more importantly, Mr. Obama acknowledges throughout the book that the rest of us, be we black, brown, yellow or white, have the same problems. In fact, he mentions specifically that he and his wife have it rather easy compared to many working Americans.

Another strength of the book is that Barack actually discusses a number of positive steps we can take to "take back the American dream." Those suggestions range from some specific ideas on how to improve our position in world opinion (by avoiding isolation, by realizing that we are no longer in the Cold War, by using unilateral power only to protect ourselves from imminent threats while using multilateral approaches for most problems) to suggestions on how we might improve the individual lives of our citizens with better health care, better insurance coverage, child and senior care which equals other First World countries.

Ultimately, what I really liked about this book was the very heartwarming way Mr. Obama relates to his own family and his ability to make us think about our place in this world. He's not afraid to make fun of himself and heap praise on others.

The book is easy to read but filled with meaningful ideas that can rekindle our American Dream.

I'm not sure whether Barack is going to run for President (he never mentions this in the book), but he certainly has a refreshing quality of honesty and humility that are seldom found these days.

Finally, Barack does show that hope is not just a dream for this great country. He based his title on a phrase used in a sermon which showed that the belief in hope was the best quality in the American spirit.

The book deserves FIVE BIG STARS.