Obama and political progress

What does Obama's nomination and potential presidency mean for the evolutionary progress in the political life of the US and the world? If you listen to him carefully, you will quickly realize that he is no progressive beyond his rhetoric and even there he slips. Take his speech to the AIPAC Conference June 4, for example, where he said, among other things:

"Let me be clear. Israel's security is sacrosanct. It is non-negotiable. The Palestinians need a state that is contiguous and cohesive, and that allows them to prosper – but any agreement with the Palestinian people must preserve Israel's identity as a Jewish state, with secure, recognized and defensible borders. Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided. " (read).

First off, why does he feel called upon to have an opinion on the state of State of Israel and that of Jerusalem? It seems to me that a progressive thinking would direct one to favour those affected, those who live in the affected region, to have a safe way of deciding for themselves what it is exactly they want and how they want to organize their lives. The best a world power can and perhaps should do is support a process which would yield a just solution whose architects would be those affected by it -- a process called self-determination.

Second, even his statement itself carries a contradiction. Unless Obama favours undivided Jerusalem to be a capital of both a Jewish and a Palestinian state (not an impossibility), how can he argue for a "contiguous and cohesive" Palestinian state which excludes Jerusalem?

Another example. On many occasions, he felt a need to declare that he was not a Muslim (I wish that his pronunciation of the word "Muslim" was more in agreement with that that I heard many Muslims prefer). I was hoping that at least once he would take an opportunity to point out that nothing would be wrong with him being a Muslim, anyway. Or, is that not the case?

Those examples point out that even his much-trumpeted speeches leave out much to be desired. So, where are the opportunities for true progress?

Just like Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign did in 1988, Obama's campaign attracted many new voices and included them into the political process. And herein lies an opportunity. This mass of grassroots volunteers can be transformed into a formidable movement which could provide a progressive alternative to a status quo. But, the initiative can not be expected to come from Barack Obama for a number of reasons. If it were to materialize at all, this new, progressive, alternative movement must remain genuine, it must grow from the bottom -- it must self-organize.