Barack Obama Announces Candidacy

I just watched Obama's speech announcing his candidacy for the 2008 Presidential race. He denounced the war in Iraq in clear terms, and spoke against the petty politics that he believes prevent our leaders from coming together to solve big problems. This was quite a contrast to Hillary Clinton's speech.

I am no pundit and will not try to be, but I want to make one simple observation: this is going to be an incredible race. Hillary Clinton, a white woman, and Barack Obama, a mixed-race black man, are the front-runners for the Democratic ticket. The speaker of the house is a woman. I don't think I would have believed that even 8 years ago that we would be here.

Maybe this is just coincidence. Or maybe the country is just feeling like it needs something _really_ different to happen at the upper echelons of our government. We are actively rejecting the old-boy network. We are tired of the power-grabbing and manipulation. We want something that really feels different, fresh. Is the U.S., and the world, ready for a woman or a black man as Commander in Chief? Ready or not, it's coming, and it's about time.