"What America needs most today is what it once had, but has lost — the lift of a driving dream."

That old quote sprang to mind just now, as I was thinking about whether Barack Obama will be able to reinvigorate the electorate with his old rhetoric when he does his convention speech this week. The quote is from — did you remember? — Richard Nixon.

We used to love to scoff at him for thinking he had anything to do with "the lift of a driving dream." But Barack Obama got us — some of us — to internalize the association between him and dreams. Can he — should he — do it again? To dream, you've got to sleep, and "what America needs most today" — and any day — is to be awake... vigilant.