Barack Obama is a biracial man, having received 50% of his DNA from his “white” American mother and 50% of his DNA from his “black” African father.

Barack Obama looks more like his father than his mother because for unknown reasons the part of DNA that controls skin color, hair type, and other characteristics of physical appearance is generally more dominant in “black” DNA than in “white” DNA.

His father was very intelligent and passed that potential along to his son through the part of his DNA that directs brain building. His mother was also intelligent and half of her son’s brain building DNA came from her.

Barack Obama barely knew his father who left when Barack was 2 years old. Young Barack was raised and nurtured primarily by his mother and his maternal grandparents, and he received a first rate education.

Perhaps the example of Barack Obama will help the human race understand that the brain of each individual is built by a new combination of parental DNA whose brain building capability is independent of whatever characteristics of physical appearance other parts of that DNA happen to produce; and once built, that new human brain, in combination with the nurturing, education, and experience it receives, develops functional capabilities that are equally independent of whatever characteristics of physical appearance that individual’s DNA produces.

In short, the quality of brain building DNA matters; nurturing, education, and experience matter; but characteristics of physical appearance produced by other parts of one’s DNA are unrelated to the functional capabilities of one’s brain. They don’t matter.

Senator Barack Obama is an intelligent, articulate, and insightful 47 year old American whose best years lie ahead of him; a man who graduated near the top of his class at Harvard Law School and was president of its Law Review; a man who understands and respects the American constitution because he was an instructor of constitutional law for 12 years at the University of Chicago Law School; a man familiar with the American legislative process because he served 3 terms as an Illinois State Senator and the past 4 years as a US Senator; a man acquainted with Washington but one who also brings fresh ideas and a passion for bringing about important and necessary changes in Washington.

Senator Barack Obama is the man America needs today, and he is the man who can lead America into the future.

Starting right now, make an effort to remember as much as you can of the next forty-eight hours.

It is not usually given to any of us to appreciate at the time that we are living through, and are part of, a unique Historical Moment.

Whatever happens in the next two days, this is -- without a doubt -- one of those Moments. Savor every hour of these days.

Excuse me, but why the fuck is there a "Yes On Prop 8" ad on Salon next to the story about Obama in Pennsylvania???

That's why. Salon got their money, do you think it will net any votes for prop 8?

I do not. I did get a good laugh, though.

Hey Everyone (in the United states of America)

Starting right now, make an effort to remember as much as you can of the next forty-eight hours.

It is not usually given to any of us (here in the US) to appreciate at the time that we are living through, and are part of, a unique Historical Moment (by American standards).

Whatever happens in the next two days, this is -- without a doubt -- one of those Moments. Savor every hour of these days. (Please appreciate that our country has, perhaps, caught up with other Western countries in putting gender and race aside when dealing with politics. However, we still have a long way to go given the amount of strange and irrelevant issues, such as abortion and belief in god, that still have the ability to sway the public election of a leader.)

someone had cut open a pomegranate and right there, inside the pomegranate, was a perfect silhouette of Obama!

And he had a tear on his cheek.

Amen, brother.

BTW: Barack was not just near the top of his Harvard class, he was Number 1.

(In other news: re: Prop 8 ad, Ya'll, I don't believe Salon can control completely what shows up in sidebar ads)

i hope he also wants to stop bombing foreigners who have never harmed america. americans are human beings, but news flash, so are non-americans. dropping a bomb on 10 people because you think one might not like america is mass murder even if you're right.

don't worry about obama restoring america's reputation, it ain't repairable. too many corpses.

Hey!

With all due respect, if you want to comment on someone's post, comment.

Don't rewrite it. Not classy, sir, at all.

But I had high hopes for Gore too.

And as an agnostic im concerned by the theocratic oath thats required by pres candidates.

P.S. I think internet ads charge the advertiser by the number of clicks. SO if you hate prop 8 - just click the advertisement a lot. It will charge those hate criminals $ for every click.

Because every last one that I've seen with his mother, he looks just like her.

Maybe it's being raised in a multi-racial, multi-cultural home, but I can definitely spot the likenesses. He and his sister have the same eyes as their mother.

I tear up every time I listen to a speech by Barack Obama. He is eloquent but clear, passionate but calm, intelligent but sociable and friendly. He is profoundly thoughtful and insightful about what people want and what this country needs. He seems unflappable, clear-headed, and calm in the maelstrom of these last weeks of campaigning, and hasn't once been fazed by the right-wing, racist, hate mongering that the McCain/Palin campaign has spewed forth with nonstop vile.

Obama is a candidate like we haven't seen in decades. He may hearken back to the likes of Washington and FDR.

When (please, oh please, oh please, not IF) he wins I will no longer feel like hiding my head in shame over our government's actions and behavior. I will no longer be embarrassed every time the leader of our country opens his mouth. I'll feel..... proud! Wow!!

(And just to be clear, I'm a middle aged, middle class, white woman.)