Caroline Kennedy - A President Like My Father

Caroline Kennedy - the last survivor of "Camelot" as her father's presidency has sometimes been called - wrote an op-ed piece in today's New York Times where in she endorses Barack Obama for the presidency (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27kennedy.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin). While her endorsement carries no real power in terms of delegates and other factors in winning the Democrat Party nomination, it does speak volumes as to the uniqueness that Obama seems to have at a time when the USA so desperately needs a new vision of itself and a new sense of purpose and hope. She identifies many of the thoughts and impressions and hopes that I see in him. Her endorsement certainly serves as a slap in the face to the increasing sleazy campaign of Hillary Clinton and her hatchet man, Bill Clinton. Being of a generation that remembers the Kennedy presidency and the palpable feeling that great things could be accomplished, we truly need to recapture that spirit once again. Here are highlights from her column:

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible. We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual. Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.

Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility. Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.