"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."

- Eleanor Roosevelt (via a tweet by Will Keightley), about 3 hours ago, 02.06.08

I've been cynical about politics since the mid nineties. Going to college in DC will do that to you, I think. So, while everyone around me was getting swept up in Obama fever, I sat back. I liked Kucinich and Edwards. Kucinich was down the line with me politically. I could even get down with him believing in aliens. Aliens is, in my opinion, the best action film of all time. Edwards, I trust. He's a doer. He walks the walk of his politics. He's the embodiment of the contradiction that is the soul of America that I love. Obama, the cynic in me thought, I don't know squat about that guy except that people are glad to come and hear him speak. They love it.

But then Kucinich dropped out. And, last week, Edwards tumbled. And, in between all of that I started to really listen. Not to Obama, really, but to the people I trust, honor, respect, admire, and love, talk about Obama. They were inspired, hopeful, excited, anxious, active, engaged, involved, and joyful.

This I can get with. If Barack Obama is that kind of an agent of change, I'm down. If Barack Obama can, without question, inspire these genuine feelings of hope and unity and activism then, hell, I could honestly care less about his plan. I thank GOOD magazine for breaking it down for me (Mrs. Clinton got one, too) and I thank the Christmas elves for putting The Audacity of Hope in my stocking. I'm sure I'll read it eventually. Mostly, though, I thank Obama for dealing in big ideas. For encouraging, no, demanding change. For challenging us to be better than ourselves. For challenging us to stop waiting. What did he say last night?