some people are going to vote for barack. (i live in NY so it won't make any difference, but i will too)

I found your article interesting. I think the most intersting part of your article is the statement that you were once sure that you would vote for Barack back in 2004 but that you have doubts today. I envy you! The pack of people who say that they want to be president to date have left me cold and unmoved. I see Barack as a young, highly intelligent young man but there is something missing, at least for me, about his ability to lead and to face the challenges that will be undoubtedly left by this administration.

So, Ms. Walsh...once you determine who you think you'll vote for in a little more than year...please let the rest of us who need a lot more insight into the fray know which way you're leaning? Can't say I'll agree with your choice but information is always good.

rphillips111,

Kindly refrain from starting a rumor that's completely baseless. Obama's ancestor's come from the Luo tribe which lives primarily around Lake Victoria in Kenya and Uganda. They were not members of the Mau Mau.

The Mau Mau was made up primarily of members of the Kikuyu tribe, of which my grandfather was a proud member. You say that they were terrorists and I am curious about what your assertion is based on. Our land was demarcated by colonialists, our culture desecrated and our people decimated. The Mau Mau fought back - successfully.

It is bad enough that some political pundits are hang up on the fact that his middle name is Hussein. Now salon readers have to contend with the likes of you that link him to what you have labeled a terrorist organization. That you feel compelled to start a little innocuous rumor stinks. That you do it by perpetrating a historical falsehood is even worse. Read his book carefully please.

I'm from Chicago, met Barack at an anti-war rally, before the Illinois senate primaries and was impressed with him. I'm pretty much a cynic about mainstream politics, but I, too, was moved by his 2004 convention speech. I said, then, that I hope his head didn't get turned by the uproar and he'd get a least one senate term under his belt before he ran for president. Still, when he announced, in front of the old state capital, in Springfield, I felt a swell of "He's our guy" pride. Now I hear that he rarely makes Senate votes, including the Iran Repubilican Guard as terrorist vote -- despite the fact that he's criticizing Hillary for her "yes" vote. In the absence of any real national political record, he has only his campaign trail statements and his votes; he's made some campaign missteps and the lack of attendance to Senate votes may sadly speak to the sense of entitlement, you mention. I guess it's time to send him another email. Gore-Obama could have been a ticket, but sadly, I think Barack is not ready, Hillary may not be electable and to my mind is a liberal neocon, and no one else can raise money.

A pretty sad state of affairs.

Writing a book at 32 is unusual? It's never to young to write advertisements for onself, is it?

As for his paternal background, what is this shadowy rumor about his father's family being MauMaus--which was a truly terroristic outfit. How does he treat that subject? Not at all?

...is that he might NOT be able to beat Hillary Clinton in the primary, but he is the best candidate to beat the Republican in the general election (whereas she is the worst). This is the tragedy of the primary process itself, which doesn’t really reflect the true feelings of Democrats across the nation, and certainly doesn’t reflect the opinion of the electorate as a whole.

But don’t count Obama out yet. I think he’s going to do much better than her among the mass of undecideds in the primary states. As recently as last month (http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2007/09/27/nh/print.html), that was still more than half the Democrats in New Hampshire. So don’t go swallowing the hype about Hillary’s overwhelming lead just yet, especially because she consistently polls low among this group of voters. By January a combination of forces (Hillary fatigue, undecided voters, and whatever votes drift in from the small fry who drop out before the first primary) might just make for an Obama victory.

Well said, Joan, but I think your blog piece overlooks some very important facts from Dreams From My Father.

For starters, it's most interesting to note that the title for his second book, The Audacity of Hope, is actually lifted from a sermon that young Barack attended in the South Side of Chicago.

What's also interesting to note is how much his half sister Auma,(who was raised in Kenya) thinks along the same lines that Barack does. During Barack's trip to Africa, she is quick to point out that the despite the obvious downside of 19th century British Imperialism, the British did increase food production through their advanced farming methods and tried to ban polygamy. What's more, Auma is correct in asserting that although the British destroyed Kenya's ancient tribal ways, it is no longer fair or reasonable to blame the British for all of Kenya's problems.

What's fascinating is how much Barack understands this and understood it through his work as a community organizer in Chicago. Although it is true that the ugly stain of slavery still persists in modern America, the notion to simply blame white America is problematic, particularly when many whites and blacks face the same problems (although let's be fair here, most whites generally have it easier).

I think everyone should read Barack's first book for further details, the least of which is because I don't have time to repeat all of them here. It leads into the genius of Barack's vision and his ability to unite people across ideological lines.

Health care is an excellent example. Barack understands that escalating health care costs are an unfair burden on employers and thus, make American business less competitive in the global economy. Thus, Barack is able to effectively communicate the need to lower costs via preventative care and universal coverage.

It also important to recognize that Barack's message is NOT triangulation. Whereas Barack is very good and persuading people that so-called "liberal" ideals are in fact, in their interest and their self-identity, the Clinton's stacked their legacy on charity for the poor and middle class while doing virtually nothing to stop (if not accelerate) the grip of the wealthy on the United States.

This country cannot afford 8 more years of triangulation, only to have whatever modest reforms be undone by the next dim-witted bushie to take the White house in 2016. The stakes are too high, and we desperately need change.