For several decades, our leaders and media have dumbed down political issues to yes-or-no, good-or-bad. Finally unable to deny that his race is a factor in his run for president, Barack Obama made the choice today to speak about race relations in America. When he did so, he took his time and guided the audience through a cogent, structured discussion. Where the average politician would take the easy path of denouncing or praising, and feeding the audience what they want to hear, he took the time to intelligently offer what they need to hear. Obama presented race as a nuanced and complicated matter, without diminishing the issue, yet in words that all could follow.

Hilary Clinton has tried to play Obama’s great oratory strength as a weakness. Her spin has been that we need more than speeches, but rather hard work and solutions. Well, I must counter that effective leadership is all about putting in hard work to come up with solutions, but that the next step is to explain those solutions to your people, and to inspire them to take the action needed to bring solutions into reality. We witnessed that ability today.