The man is AMAZING. Even more so in person. Here you have this RABID crowd all fired up for their Arkansas Democratic candidates--then they go absolutely nuts for Barack like he's a rockstar (the women around me were losing their damn minds!). Still, despite everyone being so fired up, he's able to calm the crowd down and speak to people like it's a one-on-one conversation--covering most of the major issues facing our nation (Iraq, terrorism, education, poverty, healthcare, energy, labor, etc.) then went on to describe how Americans are really tuned in to the seriousness of things now and are longing for hope again. Everyone there was hanging on his every word as he softly spoke and looked at many people in the eye. As easy as it is to do, he didn't stoop to all the usual partisan bickering, even saying "no one party has a monopoly on morality...that goes for both parties." He calls on us to live as a community with shared responsibilities and looks to find common ground with all people. I'm telling you, in my short life only Bill Clinton has shown the ability to speak to the masses and make them feel as if he were talking directly to them. To make them HOPE. To dwell on our common ground and not our differences. His calling for a greater purpose out of each and every one of us is very Kennedy-esque. At times he almost sounded like a preacher as he often quoted the great Dr. King and told stories of the civil rights movement. I'll say it again: he's AMAZING! He could be my generation's Jack or Bobby Kennedy the way he inspires people from all walks, especially young people.  I really hope he runs--his inexperience is greatly overrated in my opinion--he'll never be more popular than he is now. NOT being there when all the leaders in the Democratic party lined up to give Bush a blank-check to start this ill-conceived war is a GREAT thing--he doesn't have to try and explain how he "voted for it, but now am against it" like ALL the other would-be candidates (including Hillary).

I'll support Hillary Clinton 100% in the primaries IF Mr. Obama does not run.  But maybe there's a chance now that I'll actually get to support my first choice.  I certainly hope so...this country needs it.