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Location: Illinois, United States

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Barack Obama for President

Roughly two and a half hours from now, as I am writing this, Illinois Senator Barack Obama will formally announce his candidacy for the office of United States President.

I wish I could be there. I wish I could take my whole family there. It will be a historic moment.

Even if he doesn’t win either the nomination or the office, Obama’s candidacy will be an exciting story to watch. If the election were held today, I would vote for him. However, the primary is a year away and the general election is nearly two years from now.

A lot can happen during that time.

I like Barack Obama for several reasons. First, he is from Illinois. Not really. He is from Hawaii, but he is an Illinois Senator and that’s good enough. We are proud to have him represent our great state.

Second, I appreciate most of his positions. He believes in tax reform, which I agree is necessary. He believes everyone should pay their fair share, which is not happening today. He believes in committing as a nation to alternative fuel sources. That means more than the lip service provided by the current administration. He believes changes need to be made to our health care system.

There are issues I wish he was stronger and bolder in his support, such as education and homeland security, but it is early in the process and I may have missed strong, bold statements he has already made on these topics.

Third, he wants the war to an end. Simply put, we must find a way out of Iraq and Obama may be open-minded enough to find the way.

Fourth, he is a leader. He is not afraid to do the hard work necessary to find solutions and works hard to get his message out. He listens and is able to respond to what is said, not twist the conversation over to his own talking points.

Overall, I believe in Barack Obama. I believe, as a country, we are ready for Barack Obama. Let’s sit back and enjoy the next few months and hear what he has to say.

There are other candidates I enjoy listening to, and will give them a listen. I like Joe Biden and John Edwards. There are even a couple republicans I will follow, including Senator McCain. It will be a long election season. Names will drop in and drop out of the running.

For today, however, it is Barack Obama’s day. We still have a little more than two hours before he steps up to the podium in Springfield, Illinois. I cannot wait to hear what he has to say.

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1 Comments:

Blogger Bryan said...

Don't cut Mitt Romney short either, take a look at him, he has an excellent chance, very well balanced. As for Obama on the issue of tax reform and how people aren't paying their fair share, well this is kidna complicated. When 5% of the nation pays approx 90% of the taxes, well it isn't fair is it? The 5% being the top 5%, the wealthy, most people disregard this, just thought I'd let you know. Anyways, take it easy, and best of luck in 08'.

11:02 AM  

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