Just to tease a little a couple of comments on the Barack Obama speech. Mark Kleiman has the full text up and it does appear to be an extremely powerful speech.
Just two things to pick at, as I say, more to tease than directly to criticise.

I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.

Well, I’m not sure about that. The son of a black immigrant rises to near the top of the political tree? Try these:
Baroness Valerie Amos, actually an immigrant herself and currently a Cabinet Minister.
Diane Abbott, daughter of Jamaican immigrants.
Paul Boateng Son of immigrants and brought up in Africa. Now a Cabinet Minister.
Baroness Patricia Scotland, immigrant, one of 11 children.
Lord David Pitt , immigrant.
Note that “Baroness” and “Lord” indicate membership of the House of Lords, which while appointed (or inherited) is the UK equivalent of the US Senate.
This isn’t an exhaustive list but I do think it makes it clear that the US is not the only place where where bright and talented immigrants or children of immigrants can climb near the top of the political tree. Oh, and please note that all of the people above are black.
The second?

John Kerry believes in the Constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties, nor use faith as a wedge to divide us.

So I guess that’s the end of gun control then eh? I mean, the Second Amendment is one of those Constitutional freedoms isn’t it? Oh, and I guess hate speech laws go out the window too, that’s the First. Mandatory pee tests are out, the Fourth, and end to Federal prosecutions for “violations of civil rights” after not guilty verdicts in state courts, the Fifth. RICO dies under the Eighth, the Tenth guts the Federal Government, and from what I can see of the Eleventh the World Court simply won’t fly.
Wow, if only I were an American so I could vote for the guy.