My American friend Imagine sent me an email.
"It came to me who Barack Obama puts me in mind of: Kennedy - at his best. So excited, so hopeful. Dave! Iowa is only 3% black. It's the whitest state EVER. If he can win there...! Just had to (continue to) gush about it. My non-virtual friends are getting sick of me dancing around like an idiot."
I'm off the pace with Obamamania, but working on it. I watched his Iowa victory speech. Yes, Imagine, I see what you mean. I also see what Jackie Ashley means:
"What's the most interesting, inspiring and unpredictable politics around just now? It has to be the Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee wins in the Iowa caucuses and how they've thrown the US presidential campaign wide open....Is it naive to feel a shiver of delight at the thought of those Iowa meetings, where clusters of local voters gather in halls to argue and converge round candidates, after weeks when the rich and confident political machines have had to tour diners, begging for support?"
Naive? Probably just over-optimistic. Gary Younge:
"His victory would symbolise a great deal and change very little."
But there again, as Robert writes:
"As we await the next wave of primaries, it is beginning to feel as if our American cousins are about to create a historical, political ‘moment’ that has spun out of control of the spinners. The last such ‘moment’ we had in British Politics was Mr Brown’s clammy handling of the early election decision. You will excuse me if I keep my attention fixed on New Hampshire, where altogether more inspiring events are unfolding."
Me, as I admitted to my wife this morning, I'd vote Obama just for this.
Oh dear. Look, I love the emotion. I love the idealism. I fear both are a delusion. What can you do?
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