Quoted: A star-studded group of historians, including several former Presidents of the American Historical Association, has issued a statement supporting Senator Barack Obama for President in 2008. “…It is his qualities of mind and temperament that really separate Obama from the rest of the pack,” they write. “Not since John F. Kennedy has a Democrat candidate for president showed the same combination of charisma and thoughtfulness - or provided Americans with a symbolic opportunity to break with a tradition of bigotry older than the nation itself. As president, Barack Obama would only begin the process of healing what ails our society and ensuring that the U.S. plays a beneficial role in the world. But we believe he is that rare politician who can stretch the meaning of democracy.