Ba-Rock Star!

Barack Obama came to Cape Town last night. Seriously, how clutch is that?
A few of us set out to Queen Victoria Street to see the junior Senator from Illinois as he continues along his 15-nation trip through Africa. His speech was fairly standard, hit all the high notes. I especially liked his use of FDR's Four Freedoms to talk about hope and fear in the new post-9/11 world. The best part of the evening by far, however, was the question and answer period. Obama showed himself, once again, to be very adept at interacting with a crowd, taking a wide range of questions from both Africans and Americans, including one, wearing a pink polo shirt sitting in the third row, who asked the following:
"Senator, I want to ask you a question about similarities and differences. Forty years ago, a man who served in the very same august body in which you now sit, Robert Kennedy, came here to Cape Town, stood in the student union building at UCT said “I come here tonight to speak about a country, settled by the Dutch, fueled by agriculture, which has rebelled against its colonial masters, and today fights many racial battles. I speak of course of the United States of America.” We have similarities. Likewise, in my own experiences here in South Africa, I have talked to so many people from whom I have derived a sense of hope, for the future, for the promises of 1994. The country which I left about a month ago – your country, our country – is today gripped by a palpable sense of fear in our communities. We have differences. Senator, my question is this: in your short time here in South Africa, what similarities and differences do you see between these two nations, and also, what one lesson will you take back, in your position of great power, from South Africa to the U.S.?"
Yup, I had my moment. It was lovely. The Senator gave a good answer to the question, again talking about hope and fear and promises made as opposed to promises kept.
Gotta say, it was a magical moment.