this.

A Moment of Clarity.

WORDS. 

"... when President Obama got into the substance of his soliloquy on race and Trayvon Martin’s death, his words had the power of a moving freight train.

Obama’s unscripted comments were some of the most remarkable and admirable few minutes of his presidency. He spoke carefully, but with great passion and clarity. He spoke explicitly as a black man, but also as an American president. He said the “unsayable” so wisely and subtly that he made it accessible, and to me, indisputably clear and correct. ...I can imagine that many people will be uncomfortable with Obama’s comments and find them inappropriate for a president. I couldn’t disagree more. This is what leadership is about: finding a voice and a language that only a president can speak. It’s exciting to imagine what the next three years could be like if Obama continued to operate at this level of engagement and intensity.

If people don’t like it, so be it: He’s not running for anything now except the history books. One person who understood immediately the good sense of what Obama had to say, interestingly enough, was Zimmerman’s brother, Robert. He called Obama’s remarks “very sincere” and praised his effort to “reduce the mistrust” between police and the African-American community. “I’m glad he spoke up today,” he said. I am too."

THE WASHINGTON POST: Obama makes the ‘unsayable’ accessible

EARLIER:

Black Like Me.