Woods and Obama serve as the perfect public face of America at this crucial time. They are smart, dynamic, multi-racial and have an impressive ability to inspire. It could be that Woods has saved the best of himself for when we need it most. He has always inspired us on the golf course, perhaps now he will do so off it as well.
Let's not overstate what Woods did Sunday. He said a few words about the pride we should have in those who wear the uniform of the United States. But that is an important message. To be against the war, as Obama is, is not to be against the troops, as some would have us believe. Woods helped advance the national dialogue to a more sophisticated level.
Among the many things Earl Woods said was that his son would have a profound social effect on the world. That the best golfer in the world and the President of the United States are both men of color -- a first in both cases -- is more than coincidence. It is progress.
Both know, in the words of Paine: "the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." The conflict ahead is the nation's hardest. The role for Woods need not be one to propose policy but, just as importantly, to inspire unity.
By honoring his father and others in uniform with that call Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial, Woods made his own commitment to public service. Somewhere, Earl Woods -- Pops -- is extremely proud of his son. Any of us who met the father know he shed a tear of joy for his son. Well played, Tiger.
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