Several days ago, I listened  to President Barack Obama’s eulogy of Reverend Clementa Pinckney. He gave it a week ago but I didn’t hear it until after the weekend. The eulogy thrilled me – and I hope that thrill isn’t too irreverent a way to put it – both as a sincere, heart-rending, eulogy and a suburb political speech. For a while, I forgot about the whistleblowers and the drones and remembered the Obama for whom I had walked precincts in Reno, almost seven years ago. About 9 minutes into that eulogy, Obama says What a good man…he is talking about Reverend Clementa Pinckney but when Obama says,  sometimes, I think that’s the best thing to hope for when you are eulogized…after all the words, recitations, and resumes are read…to just say somebody was a good man, I think his hesitation, his body language, is Obama being self reflective.

During both summers just before both of Obama’s Presidential elections, Obama seemed to go AWOL. The same thing has happened several times during Obama’s presidency. The good thing is Obama is a clutch hitter.

I think that we are going to see an awakened Obama, an energized Obama, an Obama acting from his heart, rather than politically, for the next 570 days. I hope so.

Listening to the entire eulogy, I think that this is one of the major speeches of this presidency. Maybe of this time. And if you haven’t heard it in its entirety, do yourself a favor, when you can take the time, maybe after dinner, whatever, pour a glass of wine, sit down, and listen, let it engulf you. It is one of the best religious speeches I’ve ever heard and one of the best political speeches.