In strides the dashing young man, one of style and pizzazz, one of eloquent words and promises of change. People are drawn to him. His meteoric rise on the political scene is just the "underdog overcoming adversity" story that Americans crave and respect. He offers them hope for a better future, one free of war and recession. He is confident with a commanding presence that owns the space he occupies. He represents a deviation from the "old guard" and connects well with certain constituencies of people, people who were formally disenfranchised and unfairly relegated to the periphery of society. People are attracted to him for that reason also, to see the clear wrongs of the past righted in the most visible and profound way possible. He especially resonates with young college students and professionals. "He is our candidate," they proclaim. "No more old relics of leadership for us. We need a man who knows our generation and cares for the things we care for." They get caught up in the cult of personality and the quest for the candidate that harmonizes with their age and energy. Even Christian youth groups throw accolades at him. Evangelical students float and fly his colors. Myspace and Facebook banners and buttons display their allegiance to him in glowing pixels. Either out of ignorance or euphoria, the details get overlooked or lost. The potential buttons are indiscernible in the haze of celebrity and persona. It therefore doesn’t matter that this same candidate supports stabbing partially-born infants in the back of the neck with scissors, followed by the scrambling and vacuuming out of their brains prior to crushing their little skulls. ...And that he even supports seeing such heinous things funded with our tax dollars, your tax dollars. Just because one speaks well, looks good, and connects with certain demographics, does that make them a good leader? Of good character? Just because one is youthful and hip, does that qualify to earn them the support of our Christian youth? Push that button and millions of more babies will continue to die. Push that button and you have no excuse...their blood is on the tips of your fingers, the palms of your hands.

ok, well that last comment was a little random and out of context. I haven't seen Barack Obama kill any babies...has anyone else? I think the point of the article above is not to point out that Obama is "hip" but rather that his life experience is valuable enough that it should be a definite factor when we decide for whom to vote. I respect your views on abortion, Paul, but I think that your rhetoric and language is inappropriate for this setting.

I couldn't agree more. I'll be voting for Obama too - for many of the same reasons. I too worry that either he won't be elected because of his race or that he will be the target of hate crimes because of it. I remain ever hopeful that race as an issue will simply go away and I too have my doubts that I'll live to see it happen. The fact that he is as popular as he is tells me that some things are better. I've been extremely disappointed, albeit not surprised by the media and their coverage of the pastor issue. It makes no sense to me to hold someone accountable for what someone else says when you aren't even present. I'm aggravated that they think I'm that stupid.

If humans were blind there would be no racism, for we would judge people by who they are, not what they are. However, since the majority of us are blessed with sight, we are cursed with having to deal with racism because, honestly, not everyone will be educated, intellectual, peace-loving, rational, or even tolerant. I am actually pulling for Hillary because I have long wanted to see the touch of a woman in the leadership of this country. I liked what Bill did for the country and I respect Hillary for the way she handled the scandal. I believe she has the skills to know what can be done once in office and how to try to manipulate the constipated government structure when she comes up against resistence. However, the argument for Obama's life experience is a great one, and I will vote for him with no regrets if he is the Dem's chosen candidate. Compared with what we've had for the last eight years, they are all good candidates. I like McCain - a war hero - now he has experiences that most of us will never have. However, I don't like his stance on the current war and I have a 17 year old son that I don't want to see drafted. I don't watch the news much these days; I don't want to end up hating or distrusting any of the other candidates if my first preference doesn't make it. And as for the pastor issue - how sad that a religious leader expouses hatred and distrust. This is very foundation of the racist behavior that has been an injustice to all oppressed people. But these are not Obama's views and I'm not voting for the pastor. Besides, if we can deal with eight years of being lied to, talked down to and forced to accept an unjust war by a supposed leader of all people in this Country, well, that's just as horrendous.

BARACK OBAMA HAS MY VOTE WHAT I LIKE SO MUCH IS THAT HE INCLUDES EVERYBODY, HAS COMMON SENSE WANTS WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT

Ryan your post has so much in it. One of the aspects is your personal story, and about learning about race as a child. I'm 52, and remember at the age of eight or nine trying to figure things out too, I think we all can remember. So it's very deep in our experiences as Americans, but the dastardly thing is how hard it is to talk as adult about racism.

April 4th is the anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination. I was only 13 at the time, but remember it. About ten ago the family of Martin Luther King Jr. won a wrongful death suit against co-conspirators. I was surprised at the time to hear what the family believes happened. Surprised, because the broad outlines were the same as I had heard from gloating classmates at the time.

I don't mean to present as a badge of honor, but at the time I was taunted with "nigger lover." I point that out because like you that kind of talk made keen to learn more about racism.

I have heard talk about the probable assassination of Obama. I find the talk deeply troubling. On one hand I think that sort of talk is a dirty and backhanded way of discrediting Obama. Wait for the other hand--I'm not accusing you of doing that! On the other hand not talking about it is just another way to keep the stalemate of race in America going.

Recently I looked into the Stonewall riots in NYC in 1973. It's such an odd watershed moment really. Stonewall was a gay bar and when the police raided it people fought back. The heavy handed police action against the ensuing fight crowded the streets with people yelling "Gay pride!" I've got to think that probably a good number of people on the streets weren't gay but wanting to get the message out "Stop harassing us!"

The reason the police gave for raiding the bar was it was close to Wall Street and they said they got reports of Wall Street figures being blackmailed over being gay.

It's pretty hard to blackmail someone publicly screaming "Gay pride!" about being gay. Big changes for gay people happened quickly after Stonewall, and I think part of the speed was because people were finally talking about what they had to be silent about before.

Some of the fear about assassination has to do with the idea of "the people who really (secretly) run our country won't let a black person be president."

No doubt there are powerful forces behind what happens. Part of the really creepy aspects of the Bush administration is the close association with interests connected to political assassination both here and abroad.

I lived through Martin King's assassination and the assassination of Robert Kennedy. For forty years we've all been told that conspiracy theories are crazy. The fact of the matter is I don't have much patience for conspiracies. I just find myself down dark hallways not knowing the destination.

Colin Powell didn't run for president because his wife was convinced he'd be killed. Barak Obama and his wife Michelle surely have thought about this possibility. When Barak Obama calls his children precious, I've no doubt that he means it. So part of his running is to say in a very tangible way that the behind the scenes operators, the ones who "really" run America, isn't the America he believes in.

Something that's very powerful about "Yes we can!" is that it doesn't pin every expectation on president Obama, but pins those expectations right back on us. Obama and his family are brave enough to run, and their asking us to be brave too--to have the audacity to hope.

I'm from Singapore and I hope Barack Obama becomes the next President of the United States.

Sara sounds as if you're a bit naive. To think people are prejudice just on color? come on people are prejudice based on land rights, political views or religious beliefs (muslim extremists for one), nazi against jew, russian against eastern bloc countries, India v. Pakistan, Cuban against cuban during castros regime, china against tibet and look what the catholic church has done throughout history that wasn't based on color. And an unjust war? lies? All of the world leaders including Bill Clinton and Al Gore are on record saying Sadam had weapons of mass destruction. Just becuase none were found doesn't mean they don't exist. We freed people from oppression in Iraq and Afghanistan women and children are safer now because of what we've done. And lest you forget Bill Clinton actually attacked US citizens with tanks and murdered them...has anyone called for him to serve time for the murder of innocent women and children in Waco? Words do matter I believe Barack Obama said in a speech..was this just pandering or does he believe this? if he truly believes words matter then the derrogatory words and slander that has been preached from his church's pulpit over the past 20 years may be something he believes in as well. His wife has surely shown thier stripes more than he... saying things like this is the first time she's been proud of her country. Really? not proud when we helped bring down communism? not proud when we sent navy ships to the Tsunami victims? All becuase a black man is running for office and may get elected president. I understand injustice has been done on many people in this great land from native peoples, slaves, immigrants such as my Italian ancestors...all have had struggles but all still live in the greatest country on earth. I for one want to keep it that way and want to help free people around the world. We can do that if we stick together but not if we devide and not with a leader that doesn't seem to believe in what this country was founded on and what we stand for. I would love for a man of color or a woman to lead this nation but they must lead with distinction and put America and American values first. I just don't see that with either democratic candidate. Give me Ron Paul.

Sara there was 1 more thing I left out. There is no draft and will not be a draft. As recent as April 2, 2008 in Bloomberg Eric Chen wrote McCain said we need to build up the military but without a draft. Your son is safe unless he wants to volunteer.

@Paul -- Not to feed the troll here, but you're off your nana. Half the president's job as a representative of the United States IS to be articulate, well-spoken and dazzling. He's diplomat #1 for the United States and in case you haven't noticed, he's got to undo a lot of Bush's "charisma." Also -- he DID demonstrate leadership. Both Rev. Wright in the Obama camp AND Geraldine Ferraro in the Clinton camp said some out-of-line, inexcusable stuff on camera. Ferraro was straight-up racist, repeatedly. She stepped down and Clinton smoothed it over. Obama used his experience as a teaching point and opportunity to *lead* the nation in the biggest, first open discussion of race since MLK. He showed that he wasn't afraid to stand by his convictions, that he could swing a big bat at a tough time, and showed diplomacy in arguing each side's points. He stuck to his guns when the chips were down and SHOWED that he could use a crisis as opportunity to lead. He had my vote anyway -- I think Hillary would take candy from a baby and then eat the baby -- but now I'm voting Obama for Jesus.

@Daniel, I think you hit it right on the head. Among the many things I hope readers take away from this piece, one is that there is more to consider in a candidate than just the standard views on the economy, education and abortion.

Very nice post, Ryan. You've successfully captured (subsequently, engaged) me from the Lede onward to the last sentence. My frustration is voters tend to be too easily "bought" from advertisements found on TV, the rather radical views of political pundits and overall repercussions of ignorance in general. Our culture left the practice of reading both sides of an issue, instead, opting for just the headline and possibly the Lede to form opinions. I could not fathom how the News networks thought it was 'fair and balanced' to repeatedly rehash the racial wounds in this country by playing the soundbites and then reaffirming their conservative fears of Obama to the American public. Ryan, you and I both know there are a LOT of radical, insane, and downright psycho people who have the Internet to spread their vitriol and spew hatred. If there will be one thing true, there will be a lot of discoveries to be published on Barack Obama -- from his family history, to where he shops, to how much he tips when he dines out. The Lexis Nexus is out there and is waiting to be abused by people with too much time on their hand (or too much ink to spill on a news column). I don't tend to define someone by their personal life. I want to look at the progressive pattern that someone has exhibited over a period of years and go with that. We are very habitual creatures, and tend to stay within the lines. That is, if a politician accepts donations from Big Oil five years ago, they are willing to endorse the check next year, too. I'm sure the NSA will keep their ears, satellites, Web crawlers low to the ground to avert any attacks on the president. It's amazing what people would do to stop diplomacy yet turn the other cheek when there's a 10-year War around the corner. I, too, fear for his security, since indeed there is a strong racial divide in this country. As for me, I hate everyone equally and you are not a product of your environment -- instead what you've done to get where you are today. I know I've touched on a lot of things in this comment, but this is certainly a good discussion that actually deserves several entries discussing each topic. ~Joe http://www.joemanna.com/blog/