100,000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm8yhVLdLJk
The Obama rally yesterday in St. Louis drew 100,000 people, a record for Obama in the U.S. This photo is actually the picture of progress, if you think about it--a black presidential candidate draws a huge crowd in front of the courthouse that jump-started the fight against slavery nearly 160 years ago. I went to the rally, and it was pretty amazing to see the entire field next to the Arch completely covered with people.

My dad asked how Obama arrived at the stage with all those people around, and I told him that he either descended from the heavens or walked across the water, I couldn't remember which. :) Okay, it wasn't quite like that. As much as I like Obama, I realize that he is only human and does not have all the answers. It will obviously take much more than charisma and eloquence to fix the damage of the past 8 years (in some cases the damage of much longer than that, admittedly), but we have to start somewhere. In this perfect storm of unfortunate circumstances, it takes more guts to be optimistic than it does to be cynical. If we plan on accomplishing anything together, though, we desparately need a visionary to lead the charge. Of course, we also need a healthy dose of practicality and action, but I think he will surround himself with those kinds of people. Joe Biden is already a great example of that; Sarah Palin is a joke. If that alone hasn't made you question McCain's judgement, nothing will. Colin Powell, whom I considered to be the voice of reason in the Bush administration (and a friend of McCain), is even backing Obama. I pride myself on my correct assessment of the Bush administration and Iraq a good 2-3 years before many other people, and I have to say that I actually believe that Obama means what he says. Believe what you want, but that's my two cents.

Things on the McCain side seem to be getting pretty nasty, but I'm not really surprised. I mentioned Obama's rally number in passing to a super republican/christian/pro-life friend of mine (left out that I was there since I didn't want to get into it), and his response was, "Someone should have dropped a bomb"...Yeah, just like Jesus would do. That is a perfect example of the disconnect that I see with the "christian conservative" ideology that has taken hold of the republican way. How can you be a pro-life warmonger? When did Jesus tell us that we should only look out for ourselves and people exactly like us? As far as I'm concerned, pro-life should promote human dignity and protection for all life, not just unborn American babies--it should extend to soldiers, innocent Iraqi babies, or anyone who may be "different" from you because of race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. On the contrary, with the exception of soldiers, those kinds of people are often considered inferior and rejected by some of the most fervent "pro-life" supporters. It doesn't add up to me. Republicans can keep their hypocritical "christian values;" I prefer good old humanitarianism.