Obama, "Hope-monger"

I have been asked a time or two which political candidate I am favoring for 2008. I must say I am leaning toward Ron Paul, though I am not sold on him yet. I am not thrilled with any of the Republican contenders. I will say though--I like Obama.

He jokingly refers to himself as a hope-monger--something I think the American people are lacking right now given the current political scene. In The Nation, blogger David Corn chronicled Tuesday evening's "Take Back America" conference in which Obama and Edwards delivered back-to-back speeches. Corn's summary:

But his appeal was not his policy shopping list. He was promoting himself foremost as an agent of change who can bring about "a new kind of politics." He offered the crowd "a simple truth, a truth I learned all those years ago as an organizer in Chicago...that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it."

Obama wowed the audience. Touching on all the right policy points--health care, education, greenhouse emissions, minimum wage, Iraq, and even torture, he connected. Obama knows how to weave personal stories in with policy promises and how his policy will personally touch your life and make it better. "I am your man," he proclaimed.

I don't know if I can get behind Obama but I sure do like him.