Obama just can't help but shine

[UpInArms]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-obama04.html

URBANA -- Something completely impulsive swept over 19-year-old Noah Isserman Wednesday after he and his high school buddies heard Democrat Barack Obama tell a standing-room-only crowd why he wants to be Illinois' next U.S. senator.

The teens decided the moment called for a group hug -- and that's exactly what they heaped upon the surprised but accommodating state senator after his speech at the University of Illinois Student Union.

"We really like this guy," the Urbana teen beamed afterward. "He's certainly creating a buzz and a feeling of hope that hasn't been around much lately, particularly for those who couldn't vote in 2000 and who for the past four years have not been terribly happy about the direction our country has been going. To see people stepping up and who seem straightforward is just refreshing."

...more...

[Voltaire99]

1. I like his style, but his pro-war position is a disgrace

Obama needs to hear from anti-war Democrats in Illinois. It's unacceptable to view the invasion of Iraq as legitimate but merely poorly executed--a well-intentioned endeavor that just happened to go wrong. No opponent of this war will accept Bush-lite, either from Obama or from Kerry.

From "Meet Barack Obama":

The day before his speech, Obama told reporters, "On Iraq, on paper, there's not as much difference, I think, between the Bush administration and a Kerry administration as there would have been a year ago." He added, "There's not that much difference between my position and George Bush's position at this stage. The difference, in my mind, is who's in a position to execute."

http://www.counterpunch.com/ruder08032004.html

[ElsewheresDaughter]

2. damn! perhaps we need another few more looks at this man

[carpe diem]

3. he does not have a "pro-war"

position...he has been opposed to the war from the start...he does believe, however, that since we 'broke it' we have a moral obligation stabilize the country before we leave it...and his ideas about how to do that are basically the same as everyone else's. It would be the height of irresponsibility to f--k up someone else's country then just pick up our daisy cutters and go home...