Holy Cow-the Post likes Obama a lot!!!

[davsand]

In Illinois, a Star Prepares

By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Friday, June 25, 2004; Page A29


CHICAGO -- Who is Barack Obama, and why is everybody talking about him?

Well, not quite everybody -- yet. But if there is a media darling in this year's election, it is the 42-year-old Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from Illinois. Obama has been the subject of sympathetic profiles in the New Yorker and the New Republic, and more national attention is on its way. Already there's speculation that he may be the first African American president of the United States -- and he's only a state senator.

If you wanted to be cynical, you would accuse journalists of falling for the too-perfect story line about the biracial son of a Kenyan father and an American mother. His dad disappears from his life when he is 2. He graduates from Columbia University and then works as a community organizer. He goes to Harvard Law School, where he's the first black president of the Law Review.

He gets elected to the Illinois state Senate, then loses a primary for a U.S. House seat. He stays at it, reaches for the big time and wins a sweeping victory in this year's Senate primary. He gets a big vote even in white wards where what's left of the legendary Democratic machine was, in theory at least, pushing for a candidate of its own...

entire article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4062-2004Jun24.html?referrer=email

The final paragraph sums it all up:

Whether or not Ryan survives the revelations, the important story out of this race will be Obama, who already has a big lead in the polls. Is the guy for real? Consider: Obama worked hard in the Illinois legislature to get a bill passed to reform the state's death penalty system. Political opportunists don't challenge the death penalty. Obama is interested in people who are hurting and problems that are serious. That, even more than his biography, is why he'll hit the big time.

I'm LOVING this!

Laura


PS, Mods, feel free to move this to the Illinois forum if you feel it needful. I put this here simply because I know a lot of DUers are supporting Obama even IF they aren't here in Illinois...

[MikeG]

1. The Great Mentioner says he could be Presidential Timber in 2012 or 2016

[Taverner]

2. Best yet - hes a bona fide Liberal

!

[Eric J in MN]

3. E. J. Dionne Jr. is a liberal op-ed writer at the Wash Post, and

E. J. Dionne Jr. is a liberal op-ed writer at the Wash Post, and his opinions aren't necessarily those of the editors.

[stevebreeze]

4. main sponsor of health care reform in the IL Senate too!

requires the legislature to find a way to provide health care too all IL citizens.

Of course now that Ryan dropped Obama is more or less a shoe in so they will start jumping on the bandwagon. This is just to make it easier to tear him down latter. Sorry just the cynic in me...
:kick:

[JHBowden]

5. President Obama in 2012!

:toast: