Blame the drawn-out 2008 presidential campaign for robbing Barack Obama’s nomination of the dramatic recognition it deserved.

For the first time, one of the major political parties has nominated an African-American for president. In a wide-open contest, a sizable cross-section of Americans – millions of voters, caucus-goers, campaign donors and volunteers – picked a candidate who would not have qualified as a full human being when the nation was formed in 1789.

History books will herald this event, but from a contemporary standpoint it seems to have been acknowledged almost in passing. After all, we’ve known for months it was coming, and by Wednesday it was anticlimactic. The fireworks that followed Obama’s acceptance speech Thursday night were just stagecraft.

Consequently, the unprecedented choice of an African-American candidate to be a major party’s presidential nominee lacked the surprise quality of the Supreme Court announcing its decision in Brown v. Topeka Board of Education. It didn’t seem as momentous as, say, the barrier-breaking achievements of a Jackie Robinson or a Thurgood Marshall.

But it was, and the historic significance was vividly evident on the tear-dampened cheeks of black delegates in Denver. For them and their children, a door that had been open in theory has been unlocked in fact.

All Americans should embrace this milestone. Not just Democrats. Not just blacks. This was an accomplishment for the whole nation. Don’t think of it in a political context, think of it as a giant step toward fulfillment of our elusive historic aspirations.

This nation has struggled from its beginning with the indefensible contradiction between a commitment to liberty and the persistent afflictions of slavery and institutional racism.

Regardless of whether Obama is elected in November, the United States became a better, more just place. But even if he does win, the job will be unfinished.

We’ll never eradicate bigotry. The diversity that makes our culture whole also fosters the fears that sow separation and distrust. But some divisions are more formidable than others, and in this nation the racial divide is at the top of the list.

Even Republican rival John McCain had the awareness (and political acuity) to release an ad congratulating Obama on his nomination. And McCain’s supporters can comfortably applaud Obama’s nomination and what it represents without being disloyal to McCain or their political convictions.

Two months of intense campaigning remain. When the ballots are cast and counted, America will have put a little more luster on the phrase “We the people.”