Looking back...this is when he had me.

[blonndee]

(Boring, reminiscing "Reluctant conversion thread" ahead!) Feel free to skip if you like. But enjoy the video of Obama's New Hampshire speech, if you're so inclined.

Obama supporters, this is what this campaign is all about. I know it is an old video and most of you have probably seen it a hundred times, as I have. But tonight I deliberately relived the experience of watching this live, and remembering what this speech did for me, even though I had switched from Kucinich (Gore was my dream candidate, though) to Edwards (love him, but even kind of blah there) to really uncommitted and unenthused, since the media had given me the impression that Hillary would be the nominee.

When Obama won Iowa, I was really shocked. I had been initally happy that Edwards had such a good showing in early reporting districts and was pretty happy about him being second. I was surprised at Obama's success. I hadn't heard much about him so I was surprised at his popularity. So then I learned a little more about him. I knew that Edwards really had no chance, so I started to lean toward Obama as second-viable choice. I have to admit, I mostly preferred him because he wasn't Hillary. But at times, Hillary and her campaign would inspire me and the nagging idea of "she's GOING to be the nominee" bugged me, and sometimes I felt like voting for her was really the most practical thing to do.

Then I watched this speech, and it took my breath away. As I got to know Obama better, and Hillary better, I said "f*** it" to inevitability and decided to vote for the person who I thought best represented what I believe in. That was Obama. And it looks like a hell of a lot of Democrats did likewise on Super Tuesday and since then. I know that Obama is not a perfect man, and that he is a brilliant politician. I realize that backing someone so strongly can set you up for heartbreak. But it's worth it. Watching this video tonight, as though I had never seen it, reminded me of that.

Let the bitter Obama-haters deride me for this and call me a cultist, or accuse me of being all about "feelings" instead of logic. At the most fundamental level, based on logic AND my personal beliefs, I opposed Hillary and supported Obama. Although their domestic policies are quite similar, they seem to have fundamental differences when it comes to foreign policy, which is important to me. Besides policy, though, Obama has something that Hillary never will, and that is what we see in this video. I think what we see in this video, combined with his foreign policy, is something that is going to win us the GE this November.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_lQYC7vqBg