A quick Barak Obama and Bobby Kennedy comparison...

[NNguyenMD]

Bobby Kennedy had youthful positive energy that everyone felt when he ran for president, I get a lot of that same vibe from Sen Obama. So lets open this to discussion guys. How viable will it be to run our new shining prince in 2008? I remember Bobby Kennedy was a senator from NY for 2 years before he became attorney general for 4. By 2008 Barak Obama will have had 4 years in the US Senate and with a wide breadth experience from the Illinois state senate, do you think the limited National experience will keep him from making our short list for the 2008 ticket? He'd have more state and national experience than Bush had before he got appointed in 2000.

And on a side note, Erik Shinseki should be encouraged to pursue political office, or at least be given a major leadership position in our party. After watching FRONTLINE's "Rumsfeld's War" he comes across to me as an honorable and respectful leader among his troops. AND HE ENDORSED JOHN KERRY!!!

[splat]

1. red states; bobbky k had been attorney general of the u.s. n/t

[Nevernose]

2. He won't live that long

Another comparison with Bobby Kennedy. He's too good (like RFK), and his skin is too dark (like MLK) for the crazy frigging rednecks.

I saw him speak in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago with Harry Reid, apparently at Reid's request. Harry didn't have bodyguards; Barack did.

[NNguyenMD]

3. sad but very true, we always lose the best ones while they're young...

[flowomo]

4. I'd like to see what the guy can do first.....

all I have to go on, not being an Illinoisian, is a few minutes on TV. Let's see what he's got.

[eleonora]

5. just his name will be an obstacle

a President with an arabic name is enough to make the average idiot shriek...yep, I believe it's got this bad

[mark414]

6. african name

from his kenyan father

[eleonora]

8. His father may be from Kenya but it is an arabic name

Barak is a common arabic name.

for further proof if you want:

http://www.babynamesdirectory.com/arabicbabynames.htm

[NNguyenMD]

7. I think he's got enough to overcome that though...

I mean, we are the country that elected a Vice President named Quayle (can't spell it) after all.

Barack has just got so much charisma, I know it may sound like hype, but I think a lot of people really do get that Bobby Kennedy feel from him. God protect him from the DLC leadership that will try to corrupt him and make him to move to the center!

[NNguyenMD]

9. in case the name does become an issue

I think the best way for him to deal with it is to tell the people who have a problem with it to "fuck off" and let everyone know that he's proud of his father's name, and his Kenyan and American heritage. So anyone who has a problem with it should find something better to do like burn a cross or hide in the bomb shelter out by the compound.

People should also remember that he's just as African black as he is American white (Kenyan father, white mother from Kansas). He's just as much a son of America as any of us.

[eleonora]

10. yes but it seems that at large people have lost their sanity

I can't explain it, and I hope I'm wrong but this country seems full of ignorant bigots who will believe anything their next neighbor tells them. Look at the untrue bunch of crapshit they believed about Kerry!

[quiet.american]

11. Barak's got the Right Stuff

If Obama, with a name that rhymes with Osama, can win in this atmosphere of racial hatred and ignorant fear Bush has created, and not only that but win in an untouchable landslide to become the ONLY African-American senator and ONLY the third African-American senator in the past 125 years -- there's nothing he can't accomplish.

His book "Dreams from My Father" is really a great read.

(But nothing matters if we don't get this perpetual voting machine fraud issue resolved.)