By TED ANTHONY AP National Writer © 2008 The Associated Press
— He spoke about posterity, and for it. But in looking forward at his finest hour, Barack Obama never forgot to look back.
In a victory speech stirring not only for its content but for its journey into American yesterdays, the president-elect — lionized and derided through the campaign for his speaking abilities — managed to bask in party triumph even as he summoned his constituents-in-waiting to service and hope.
The line between political speeches and presidential ones is usually axiomatic: They're political, or they're presidential. What Obama delivered Tuesday night was something in between — an eloquent agenda built for the 21st century but crackling with the 1960s.
He invoked John F. Kennedy's inaugural challenges: "To those who would tear this world down — we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security — we support you."
He evoked Martin Luther King's dream: "The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America — I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you: We, as a people, will get there."
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