Obama has youth and looks which the media loves, funny thing is that before TV most of our presidents we very ugly guys (please contest this i dare you). I think in the end most of us will end the popularity contest and agree Obama is a great guy but he's no president. I can see him having his own TV show when this is all over...maybe become a correspondent for some news channel or maybe even become John Stewart's new side kick. Whatever he does I am sure Chavez, Raul, and all their pals will have something new to tune in and tune out to.

So just because a guy can speak well we should assume he will lead well? To me it sounds like we just found a guy who can describe a better fence (it's still a fence) for more people to sit on. And as far as rhetoric, I think he's just orating a new kind of sophistry that the voting majority is not ready to listen to. If it is not going to be McCain it will be some last minute third party unknown conservative who isn't quite as ancient.

jonh mccain is so not fit to become presdint of the usa if u wants to be he would lower gass prices for everyoneeven the middle class. jonh mccain kindda wats everything to stay the same but we need change lots of change that way im voting for Obama not john Mccain and plus who want a mane like that for presdient not so Go Obama boo McCain(ps.i noe john McCain is going to be presdient so wats the piont for this comment)

There is absolutely no question that Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States.

Set aside his charisma. Set aside his progressive stances.

What matters this time is that Americans are ready for a change. Hilary Clinton probably would have made it a closer race, but even with Clinton running for president, the American people know that the country needs fresh, new leadership, with new ideas, and a new way of looking at things.

And it's not only the Americans. Obama's election to the presidency will send a message to the rest of the world that the U.S. wishes to lead the world by example, not by heavy-handed military muscle.

We don'y need someone esle wh lies and misleads us like Bsuh did. We need something new and different instead and someonhow who will help our country

If McCain wins this election, I will have lost all faith in the American public. McCain's policies are almost identical to Bush's, and since Bush's approval ratings are down near 30%, you would expect Obama to win in a landslide. But of course, the average American has no clue as to what is going on, so it will end up being much closer than it ever should be.

When Barack Obama speaks of change it's not just talk. His meaning of change has purpose. He doesn't want Washington to be run as it has for so many decades. He wants political leaders to be more accessible to their constituents and provide exceptional representation. Barack believes in different political parties, different points of view and different beliefs, and he believes differences working together will bring positive results.

Barack Obama is not a saint nor does he pretend to be so. He is a man with a clear vision of the State of the Union, past, present and future. He is a leader in a world where national, personal and economic security is threatened daily. He is the one who will unite where divisions have been made. He will be the one to take a stand where others fear to walk, and the United States of America desperately needs his leadership.

Barack Obama is an extraordinary politician. So much so, it's unfair to label him a politician. He is a leader not a politician. Sure, he is a Senator and strives to be President, but those are the channels set by our forefathers in order for a citizen to be considered a leader in the United States. Barack has the map to the Oval Office but takes a different highway than most.

He stands up for what is morally correct and doesn't play in the good ole boy network. He listens to his constituents, stands up for the citizens he represents and keeps the best interest of the United States at heart. That's why he was one of the few who voted against the Iraq war. Barack knew the reasons for war were cloudy and that not all avenues were pursued before deciding to go to war. He made his position clear and has never backed away from it.

No matter how you feel about him, Barack Obama is a powerful force that will influence the future direction of the United States. Whether he is elected President in 2008 or in a later election, Barack is the leader of political and social change for our country.