I dunno' why exactly but although I have respected much of what Jesse Jackson has done in his own right over the years, I have always thought that of those close to Martin, he was perhaps the least. As time passed and his accomplishments outdistanced those of others like Andrew Young, my repect for Jackson grew. As his role on the World Stage elevated and his ability became pretty clear, I had to eventually admit that he was a true leader and not a "pretender to the throne."

All the same, somewhere in the back of my mind there was some tiny smidgen of doubt and I could never fully shake the feeling he was a wannabee. Then the other night when the camera panned to him in the park with tears running down his face, for the first time ever I fully embraced Jesse Jackson and held him unequivocably in the respect he has truly earned. It was that shot of him more than any other that brought me to immediate tears of my own the other night.

My apologies Rev. Jackson for ever mistrusting you.

Again, as I said before, I have mostly felt that I always loved what America could be but hated what it was. A little after 11 PM on Tuesday, America lived up to her full potential.

Jesus, I hope it lasts awhile.


Spaw