One of the things that marks history-making leaders is how their leadership transcends the person themselves. In the history of war it comes to people like Cyrus, Alexander, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon. There seems to be something more present than just a supremely capable commander. The people who follow place a faith in that commander that gives a spirit to the troops beyond what is possible by a mere man. In war this spirit can make the numbers of the opposition meaningless.
The recent event of the absolutely peaceful gathering of 1.2 million people on the Washington Mall makes evident to me that a similar has happened to the person of Barack Obama. He has come to embody the power beyond his frame to contain the hope and faith of both folks who have struggled for generations and a new generation for whom the struggles are yet to come.
It is my prayer and hope that Barack and the people with whom he surrounds himself are sufficiently competent for this enormous load. And it is also my prayer and hope that we, the people, can recognize the limits of what one man can do. We need to individually respond to that Obama Spirit in ways that indeed make the incredible obstacles before us surmountable in the end.
Remember, Barack will be nothing but a footnote in history without the support of our own personal, individual energy and resources.
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