Is anyone truly surprised that Senator Edwards gave a stirring speech?  The man helped a lot of people -- and made a nice living himself -- by convincing people of the truth of what he says.  Something Dick Cheney will never be able to do.

So when you return home some night, you might pass a mother on her way to work the late-shift. You tell her: Hope is on the way.

When your brother calls - when your brother calls and says that he's spending his entire life at the office and he still can't get ahead, you tell him: Hope is on the way.

When your parents call and tell you their medicine's going through the roof, they can't keep up, you tell them: Hope is on the way.

And when your neighbor calls you and says her daughter's worked hard and she wants to go to college, you tell her: Hope is on the way.

And when your son or daughter who's serving this country heroically in Iraq calls, you tell them: Hope is on the way.

Edwards' optimism isn't a blind optimism. It's grounded in reality, and based on hope.

Like all of us, I've learned a lot of lessons in my life. Two of the most important are that first, there will always be heartache and struggle. We can't make it go away. But the second is that people of good and strong will can make a difference. One's a sad lesson; the other's inspiring. We are Americans and we choose to be inspired.