This exuberance over the Obama candidacy is not a "cult of personality" or some kind of

Naive "spiritual awakening"!!!!

Bush has bankrupt this country financially and emotionally, rather that the "land of the free, home of the brave" Bush has turned us into admitted torturers, he invaded a sovern nation (with no provocation) he turned the most superior and powerful military force in the world against a small country who was defenseless against us, ruining the lives of the innocent people of Iraq.  For every one of the 600,000 known dead, there are that many plus millions more who survived only to live in squallar, refugee camps.  

No matter how the great "Wizard of the White House" exaggerated the stories of Saadam and the possible mushroom cloud,  the entire administration purposefully misrepresented Iraq and fed us through an eager press, false links between Iraq and 9/11.   Stories that at the time, were proven to be completely false.   What has been the hardest part for me and obviously many other Americans like myself, is knowing that so many of our elected leaders (and those of us willing to look a little further than the NY Times) knew Bush was peddling lies about Iraq, knew that Iraq was no threat to us.  Those who were brave enough to stand up against the Bush propaganda machine, stand against the near hysteria in the press & the mad dogs Cheney & Bush unleashed, those are the men and women we now trust.

Watch Obamas speeches he made during the run up to the war.  He did not mince words, he did not walk on egg shells and he did not care what the press or the Bush administration was going to say about him... Obama told the truth.  Obama told the truth when most of those in the leadership positions supported the war ... the Bush administration failed us and those who supported him failed us, over and over again.  

The last sell out was the legislation on Iran, for the first time in history, we called a nations army "terrorists", obviously baiting an already stressful situation next to a nation we had just illegally invaded.... again giving the mad man in the white house power that he had proven he was not capable of handling.   Do not belittle the exuberance we feel over Senator Barack Obama, do not belittle the importance of his speaking out against the war in Iraq.  Do not underestimate the power of possibility, the power of 'what could be', the power of hope, the hope of having a person in the White House we can trust, a trust based on his LEADERSHIP ABILITY.  Obama has already proven he will not be shaken, he will not be bullied and he will tell the truth even when it's easier to tell a lie.  

Many of us who support Obama, love him.... we don't care  about his gender, we don't care the color of his skin or the number of years he's been on the planet or in the senate, what we see is a person we can trust, a person who has proven in the toughest of times that he will do the right thing and right now, that trust is priceless.

•  Leadership is about action.

  While others have held leadership titles, Obama has actually been leading.

  by ScottyUrb on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:22:49 AM PDT

•  I don't see policy stregnth

  His support's got to be built around something. And it is not anti-war or ethics or education or anything else. It's the illusive unity message. "Elect me and I'll unite you" or "if you vote for me you are united." I don't get it. Maybe he will be a liberal activist president.  

  by bten on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:25:14 AM PDT

  •  His Policies are on his web site www.barackobama.

    com

    You'll find policies galore there.

    Who are you for?  "Mr. 100 years of war in Iraq",
    or "Mrs. I thought Bush would use diplomacy"?  Can you even say that with a straight face?

    by bluecayuga on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:35:13 AM PDT

    •  Bad form, Dude.

      When you write a diary, show a little more respect for people who post comments, even the ones who disagree with you (unless they're trolls).

      by homogenius on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:42:37 AM PDT

      •  good point. I apologize

        by bluecayuga on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:45:23 AM PDT

    •  Reading is fundamental.

      And those who claim Obama has no substance lack such fundamentals.  Sad, but true.

      by Scoopster on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:45:28 AM PDT

  •  In defense of "hope"...

    As much as I despise the ankle-biters who are shoving Obama down our throats on a daily basis (and the Hillary-haters), I'm increasingly coming to understand that the buzz Obama is building is something quite rare--possibly a once-in-a-generation type of phenomenon.

    I try to step back from the hype (and my disgust at the Obamabots) and remind myself who he is. This is a really incredible person--brilliant, driven, accomplished, and seemingly good on progressive issues. Yes, there's a lot of "sizzle" being sold, but there's also a real steak underneath.

    My guess is that he and his campaign are going with what works. His call for "hope" and "unity" is resonating with folks in ways that policy papers and general wonkishness doesn't seem to be. He got a taste of this in 2004 and my guess is that it is catching fire beyond even his own best expectations.

    My priorities are starting to shift a little--for me it is less important whether we get Clinton or Obama as long as we take back the White House. It's become more urgent for me that we increase our majorities in Congress, particularly in the Senate, and continue to work from the grassroots to challenge the status quo and get some people in their who are serious about saving our country.

    by homogenius on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:41:00 AM PDT

  •  Read his two books, read his Web site

    You'll get all the substance, brilliance and vision you could want -- and more.
    Anyone who says Obama doesn't have substance is just ignoring it, or parroting Rove's talking point of the month.

    by Rosemary on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:44:31 AM PDT

•  Except when it is.

  No, Sen. Obama doesn't act like a cult leader. And most of his supporters aren't vacant-eyed zombies.

  But a few are.

  Quit being so damn defensive. Your candidate has thicker skin than that--why don't you?

  The issue isn't whether all Obama supporters are Kool-aid drinking zealots. Clearly they're not. But there is a small number of annoying "true believers" who insist that everyone love him, adore him, follow him. You destroy your credibility by denying this.

  There are a lot of us who voted for other candidates who stand ready to support the nominee, and increasingly that looks like Obama. So quit defending the assholes who are shoving him down our throats.  

  by homogenius on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:33:16 AM PDT

  •  now that's a great comment.

    thank you.

    by bluecayuga on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:36:20 AM PDT

    •  You're welcome.

      (And it's spelled "naive".)

      by homogenius on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:45:27 AM PDT

      •  and thank you again..(spelling, never my for-tay)

        by bluecayuga on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 08:47:28 AM PDT

      •  homogenius, I have to admit....

        I'm a fan of yours, since your diary in January.. where you were talking about sending in your absentee ballot and said " KUCINICH HERE I COME!"

        it was a great.

        (I notice you didn't change your sig line)

        by bluecayuga on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 09:01:57 AM PDT

        •  It rotates depending on mood.

          But thanks. Sometimes it's spur-of-the-moment like the Dolly Parton quote that I just replaced.

          I wish our sig lines stayed stuck to the comments rather than updating globally. I can't always remember how blazingly brilliant I was. LOL

          by homogenius on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 09:32:29 AM PDT

        •  And thanks for reminding me.

          I hadn't reread that diary since it happened. Boy was that an adrenaline surge!

          by homogenius on Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 09:44:31 AM PDT