I read a lot about how Obama failed spectacularly to distance himself from the racially-charged statements of his pastor, and had little interest in reading “the race speech” (probably to be filed in the history books right after Romney’s “faith speech” as the rhetorical means and ends were pretty similar). Even so, I wandered into the transcript while avoiding work and read it myself.

Turned out to be a good move, as my impression walking away from it was so different from the analysis that I had to wonder if we’d all read the same speech.

I have no idea what people were expecting, but I was impressed. Reading it, I got the impression that whatever else is going on, the man (or his very clever speechwriters) is aware of what is actually going on in the hearts of many Americans, and he’s heard of some of the things that make people on both sides of some key divides very upset indeed. Couple that with the case he’s been making for months that he has good judgment (if not experience), and that’s a very heady mix of Good Stuff I Want To See In the Leader of the Free World.

I’m beginning to wonder if Obama is trying to redefine the election process here as something less like an audition (or a laundry list of hot-button issues — yawn) and more like a job interview. Many companies interview scientists here for jobs that have nothing to do with science. They’re here because they want smart people who can solve problems, and they don’t care so much that the interviewees haven’t actually solved anything related to the employer’s problems yet. Obama wants to convince America that he’s a smart guy with keen awareness and good sense, and that makes him qualified to lead the country. No wonder so many people have found him so compelling.

I’d quoted a few bits from the speech here, but it made the entry excessively wordy and it seemed wrong to extract carefully crafted points from their context. I encourage y’all to read the whole thing if you have the chance and form your own opinions. It’s about a leisurely mug of tea long.

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