Success, it seems

If you've been paying any attention to Barack Obama's trip to the Middle East this week, you would know that it seems to be extremely successful and well-received. His different meetings with Al-Maliki, of Iraq, and the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, have all been met warmly and with, again, it seems, good results, considering its mostly a fact-finding tour for the assumed Democratic Candidate for the US Presidency.

It seems the whole world has not only "gone on" from this lame duck Presidency we're all suffering through, it's as though the United States and the world, both, are almost starved for intelligence, eloquence and thoughtfulness. This trip has ended up being almost a coronation for this next President.

Meanwhile, "Senator McSame" is thrashing about, trying come up with labels he can throw out for the Senator from Illinois, that he can make stick. It's sad. He's made verbal gaffes about different regions of the world and about the Sunni vs. Shiite sects in Iraq, among other things. He seems to be desperate in so many ways: desperate for good media coverage, desperate for voters in America to get behind him, desperate for young people to get excited about him and his campaign (oh, yeah, that's gonna happen. I can see it now: "Young 20's for the Rich, Old White Guy!").

There's a lot of time and events between now and November, to be sure, but it seems that there is a terrific head of steam (the mighty "MO" of momentum in politics) that Senator Obama has, in successes he's created, in fund-raising, in the "buzz" of the electorate, and more, that, hopefully, is virtually unstoppable.

Let's hope that's the case.