38% 30% 29%... If you haven't read the paper yet, or you weren't watching last night, or if you weren't in a 5 block radius of my apartment and didn't hear my screams of joy, those are the Iowa Democratic Caucus numbers for Barack Obama, John Edwards and Hillary "In it for myself" Clinton, respectively.

I probably should have blogged about this last night as it was happening, but that actually wasn't possible. Back when I was a kid (probably up to about the age of 10 or 11), whenever my parents would take the family to Disneyworld, I would race into the hotel room when we checked in, jump up and down on the bed and flap my arms like a bird in sheer excitement. The scene was pretty similar last night after seeing Barack not only win Iowa, but win it by a wide margin.

The picture above, jenkily ripped off and resized cause I'm not paying $50 for a digital photo of four people, is from the Obama Iowa headquarters as the results started rolling in. That same feeling of joy, mixed with shock (because the way politics has gone the last few years, any good win is a shock) is how I felt. I know exactly what they're feeling, and I love that picture.

So instead of writing about this last night, I'm writing about it this morning with a cup of Dunkin in my hand (a warmed up cup of Dunkin, but it's Dunkin nonetheless). The contrast between those awful mornings in 2000 and 2004 when Bush won (or had at least not lost in 2000) and this morning is stark. In fact, it's on the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm still floating in this happy daze and nothing can stop that. It's no secret that for the last 3+ years I've wanted Obama to become president, and for the first time in a long time, a meaningful election actually went for someone I am passionate about (the Dems retaking Congress in 2006 was exciting, but I can't really claim to be passionate about Harry Reid taking over the Senate).

The momentum is clearly in the Obama camp, and this bodes well for next week in New Hampshire. The huge turnout in the caucuses only reinforces the idea that Obama could be that candidate that ushers in renewed belief and optimism about government. That has always been what has drawn me to Obama. Not only do I agree with his Democratic policies, but I genuinely feel like he can utilize our system of government to make the entire world a better place.

A cynic could just dismiss this as another campaign speech. But if you're not a cynic, can you honestly watch Barack's victory speech in Iowa and not think that this guy has the "it" factor to actually bring this country and the world together?



I wonder if Bush watched that speech since taking an interest in the first step in replacing him is obviously too tedious or in a Fred Thompson-esque way, on too late for him to watch. And yes, I know that the White House now reports that he did watch it, but the dig at the end of that USA Today article about the Virginia Tech game is too funny not to post around the net. Anyway, whether Bush watched or not isn't important, because as they said in Dazed And Confused, "It doesn't matter, he's out of there this Fall anyway." (I think that may be my favorite thing about 2008... the year the worst leader in the history of mankind has to hand over the reins of power).

Anyway, I can't really say that I have any new thoughts or insight than the fact that I'm thrilled by last night. I'll just leave it at that, polish off my now lukewarm Dunkin and take myself to work.

Random Happy Song


This song has nothing at all to do with the election, Obama, or anything else going on in my life at the second. In fact, I just looked for an upbeat song. Because the election turned out so fantastically last night, and the weather is going to turn 55 degrees (!!!!!) this weekend, and my cold is finally dissipating, I am in an incredible mood with an extra spring in my step and nothing can stop that. I figure I'll be listening to lots of 2 Step this weekend, and Mr. MJ Cole is the king of that genre (if you ask me). So without further ado, some MJ Cole for everyone to bounce around to:

Dido - Hunter (MJ Cole Remix)