From Hank in NY:

Please post this for me. I am sooooooooooooooooooo excited! Love, Hank


Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 5:29 AM
To: 'oped@washpost.com'
Subject: To The Editor

“Obama Rising!”

Barack Obama’s stunning Iowa Caucus victory has fundamentally shifted the race for President this year, and the way politics in America will be practiced for decades to come. It was, as the Senator from Illinois stated so eloquently, “a victory for hope over fear.” His speech to his supporters was evocative of his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Convention that marked him as a sure-fire presidential candidate even then. The statement that, “only in America could I be standing here tonight”, referring to his humble beginnings and mixed parentage, was so heartfelt that not even the most cynical pundit could mistake it for a political speech.


It seems that Senator Obama has tapped into a well-spring of young, passionate and forward-thinking voters, Democrats, Independents and Republicans, who truly believe that what America needs is change. Change from the politics of fear mongering, big-money special interests, nation building and preemption and dishonesty. It is not George W, Bush these voters are running from, rather they are flocking to the antithesis of our current President, the junior Senator from Illinois. America finally has a candidate for all the people, one who will lead our great country with dignity, integrity, strength and compassion.


This is a man of values, deep conviction for what is right and what is wrong for America, and the strength of will necessary to make the very difficult choices and decisions demanded of our Commander-In-Chief. During the four occasions that I have had the pleasure of meeting Senator Obama I came away feeling better about our country and about myself as well. I knew that I had chosen the right candidate to support. His message to Iowans that they will look back years from now and know that, “this is where it all started”, will resonate around the country. It would not surprise me at all if, by February fifth, that Barack Obama was officially the Democratic nominee for President. But he will be much more than that. He will be America’s candidate, a leader the world will respect because he will lead us back to the high moral ground and the values that made America a beacon of liberty for all to see.