The Obama Bargain  —  Geraldine Ferraro may have had sinister motives when she said that Barack Obama would not be “in his position” as a frontrunner but for his race.  Possibly she was acting as Hillary Clinton's surrogate.  Or maybe she was simply befuddled by this new reality …

FIRST THOUGHTS: OBAMA'S BIG SPEECH  —  From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray  —  *** Obama's big speech: The last time a top presidential candidate gave an important speech on a sensitive topic was last December, when Mitt Romney talked about American faith.  His speech drew favorable reviews …

Full Text Of Obama's Big Race Speech: A Big Break With Political Precedent  —  We have a full transcript of Obama's big race speech for you after the jump.  He's set to deliver it in Philadelphia within moments.  —  Reading it, you can't escape the fact that in various ways it represents …

The speech  —  He hasn't started speaking yet here in Philly, but Drudge just busted the embargo, so I've posted the text after the jump.  —  It's quite a speech: autobiographical, embracing complexity, and answering questions about Wright — whose most offensive words, he says …

The Speech  —  Alas, I cannot give a more considered response right now as I have to get on the road.  But I do want to say that this searing, nuanced, gut-wrenching, loyal, and deeply, deeply Christian speech is the most honest speech on race in America in my adult lifetime.

‘Not This Time’  —  I watched most of Obama's speech live on CNN.com.  Of all the words he spoke, those three — “not this time” — seemed the defining words of the moment; not just of the speech, but of his entire campaign.  —  Better than most, those words capture, I think …

Obama: We can move beyond some of our racial wounds  —  PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama said Tuesday he chose to run for president because he believes “we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.”  —  Speaking to supporters …

Michian re-do on the ropes  —  Michigan sources say a State Senate Democratic Caucus meeting that just ended left the state no closer to a revote.  —  “An overwhelming number of members had concerns and unreadiness to go this route,” State Sen. Tupac Hunter, an Obama supporter, just told me.