Barack Obama became the first African-American man in this country’s history to be nominated by a major political party to serve as its candidate for the presidency. And in this moment, if only just for a moment, I can forget my cynicism, my growing outrage at the mainstream media, and my occasional disappointments with the Obama campaign and instead feel proud to be a Democrat and an American.

Update: Let me take another crack at this. The Democratic Party, historically the party of slavery, secession, and segregation*, just nominated a black man as its candidate for the presidency. Sometimes things get better — if only incrementally.

Update II: All due respect to Senator Clinton, who knows how to seize a moment.

* And, it should be said, later the party of Civil Rights. Like I said, change happens.