Published in The Sacramento Bee, 19 February 2007
Forget the fact that his first name rhymes with Iraq, or his middle name is Hussein and his last name is one letter off from the name of the most wanted man in the world, but Senator Barack Obama, in my opinion, not only possesses the ability to win the Democratic nomination, but also has a legitimate chance to win the Oval Office in 2008.
Not because he’s black. In fact, race doesn’t have anything to do with it. Rather he understands the times better than other presidential candidates because he empathizes with the American people.
Critics may claim he’s inexperienced, his speeches are absent with substantive policy direction and are rhetorically-driven, but one cannot dismiss his strengths: his charisma that unites rather than divides the American people transcends day-to-day Washington politics; his belief that all Americans can achieve the American dream if they are willing to sacrifice is a message not heard since the days of Robert Kennedy.
What separates Mr. Obama from other contenders is his willingness to listen to the American people thereby successfully rallying them. It is an important lesson that the current administration has failed to understand in over three years.
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