I took an Aleve Cold & Sinus this morning, and I swear to God that extended release Pseudoephedrine is is making feel high as Hell.

But not nearly as high as I felt watching Barack Obama's speech last night. I've tried to blog about that speech several times since last night, constantly abandoning posts that I felt contained too much hyperbole, wanting to write about that speech for what it is.

Try as I might, however, there is no way around making a grandiose statement.

Obama's speech was up there with some of the greatest speeches made in the history of our nation, with the Gettysburg address even. Seriously. Look at the way it's constructed, the way he relates his own life to national ideals, the way he addresses everyone and makes specific viewpoints appeal to anyone.

What kils me is the way the right wing is trying to degrade the speech -- by saying the speech was too Conservative. Bullshit. Obama's speech was exactly why I more often than not side with the Democratic party:

...people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

Since when is that a Conservative viewpoint? How do privatization, deregulation, outsourcing, and tax cuts offer "doors of opportunity" to anyone other than the priviledged few?

I'm damn proud that Barack Obama will be the junior senator from Illinois. It's not like the Republicans can put anyone next to him after that speech. And eventhough none of the networks aired that speech, it's going to be replayed in the news, it's going to land Obama on magazine covers, and juicy pieces of that speech are going to be aired over and over again until election day. In the foggy mist of neck-and-neck poll numbers, Obama is the brightest light. We certainly needed one right now.