"My mother is a congresswoman. There have always been strong women around me," he testified. "I think it's absurd to assert that every woman that works with a man is a whore. I think it's disrespectful, not just to Christine Beatty but to women who do the professional job that they do every single day."

This is classic race and gender politics, rooted in a core cynicism about this country and about life in general. It relegates idealism and integrity to the weak and the naive.

Obama changes all this. His candidacy, by necessity if for no other reason, transcends race. A black candidate could never succeed on the national stage if he were not a candidate who happened to be black.

And Gov. Palin? Here is a young woman who says that being governor of Alaska is a "cool job,'' calls her husband, a blue-collar worker and union member, the "first dude," and is a pro-life Christian with five children and a corruption fighting, limited government Republican.

Word is that Democrats are rolling out female surrogates to counter the surprise Palin onslaught. This to be led, of course, by Sen. Hillary Clinton.

If there is one line from Sen. Clinton's campaign that defines her, I think it would be "fairness doesn't just happen. It requires the right government policies."

It's the left-wing call to arms. Only bureaucracy can produce the good.

Yet, ironically, whether we talk about the settling of America, the abolitionist movement, the women's suffrage movement, or the civil rights movement, the initiative has been from motivated, idealistic private citizens. Not bureaucrats.

Now we have a black candidate and a woman candidate on the respective national tickets that defy political cliches.

The result can only be a new excellence.

More proof of the greatness of this country and the power of freedom.