Here in Connecticut in the sweltering summer of '06, the electrifying Senatorial candidacy of Ned Lamont has transformed from a laughably obscure anti-war bid to an almost transcendent vehicle for hope.
In the Mount Aery Baptist Church in Bridgeport, Rev. Al Sharpton raises his arms as he thunders, "A bird needs two wings to fly. But America has become a one-winged bird -- a right-wing bird! We need to balance out the bird! And make it fly! I believe I can fly! I believe I can touch the sky!"
Up at the pulpit with Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in New Haven.
It was neat seeing Ned in his hometown of Greenwich, where he got his start in politics as a selectman and on the board of taxation. In other settings where I've seen him (e.g. Bridgeport, New Haven), Ned's body language appropriately conveys the attitude of an appreciative guest; in Greenwich, his stride makes it clear that he knows these streets, this is his home turf.
