In my long lifetime I probably can count on one hand the number of great speeches I have heard - speeches that keep your attention from beginning to end. If they are on TV, you can't get up to go get some popcorn for fear of missing one word.

Thursday night's speech by Sen. Barack Obama was just such a speech.

I put it right up there with speeches by John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and my favorite speech of all time, the speech made by Martin Luther King, Jr., on the rotunda in Washington D.C., and the Garbage Workers Union speech in Memphis, Tenn.

If there were people in America, or the world for that matter, who had not taken Obama seriously -and I can't imagine that person even exists - all doubt was erased with Thursday night's speech at the Demo-cratic National Convention in Denver, Colo.

Obama did several things that solidified his intention to win the presidency of the United States.

The first thing he did was talk about his roots - his mother and grandparents, and their effect on his life.

The second thing he did was take the offensive in challenging Sen. John McCain, bringing up the point Democrats are just as patriotic as Republicans, punctuating that attack with the acceptance of the opportunity McCain had presented to have open debates.

As an old debater, I have always believed the best way to begin the battle is to use your opponent's points first. It has a disarming effect.

Obama did just that, talking about defending America and supporting the U.S. military.

Too many times when someone makes a speech, we hear the pundits call them "brilliant." Let me tell you that is the most overworked word in the lexicon of descriptions.

However, last night it was appropriate.

Can Barack Obama accomplish all of the things he said he would? Probably not all of them.

Can Barack Obama live up to all of his hype by the American TV networks? Probably not completely.

But can he reach out to all segments of American society and draw them into the political process? He can, and he has.

It remains to be seen whether he will reside in the White House, but it is obvious he will live in the hopeful hearts of his party faithful throughout the remainder of the campaign.

In summary let me say this. If you watched Thursday night's speech by Barack Obama, you witnessed one of the pivotal moments in American history.

FRANK LEWIS can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232.