Obama: Ready for a change

By Roujin Mozaffarimehr

With the new year and caucuses in full swing, I only just realized that election year has finally come. This primary season is two years in the making; with the endless debates, campaign fundraisers and CNN candidate updates, I thought it would never come. And to my surprise and excitement, the new year started with my favorite candidate as the front-runner in the first caucus: Barack Obama.

I had the opportunity to meet Obama last May at one of his campaign fundraisers here in Silicon Valley. Never in my life have I been as captivated by a public speaker until I saw Obama in person.

I know, it sounds corny, but let me break it down. He touched on domestic issues including health care and the economy, he discussed the need to "talk to leaders we don't like" and to have a plan for the future of Iraq.

More importantly, he focused on the need to invest in new energy. I was surprised Obama made this such a large issue in his campaign, but if you look on his Web site and read a couple of his past speeches, his argument for a new energy source is very compelling in terms of our dependence on foreign oil, the survival of our economy and the environment.

Sounds pretty good to me.

After his speech, I rushed the senator with the crowd. Of course, being the klutz that I am, I finished the day by freezing when I went to shake Obama's hand. I thanked him for running, and, as if I was meeting Justin Timberlake, I told him I'm his biggest fan.

Amidst the convoluted messages that the different candidates send in terms of where they stand and what they promise us, an important question to ask is, "Why Obama?" He's younger than the other candidates. Arguably, he lacks the experience that other candidates may have. David Brooks of the New York Times argued that Hillary Clinton has worked across party lines as a senator much more efficiently and successfully than Obama. But Brooks goes on to note something that sets Obama apart from the rest of the candidates -- his personality and worldview.

Have you heard Obama lash out at his opposition? Has he given in to the pressures of his race being an obstacle, or the attacks on his upbringing?

No. Instead, it seems like Obama is ready to talk about these issues in an open forum, and to try to find the source of such obstacles in our society. Once a person becomes president, the past comes to haunt him (or her). Obama has already dealt with the few issues people have found to pick on him, and he has come off not as a hostile person, but rather a person ready to talk and understand such issues.

Taking the same approach to domestic and foreign challenges is key to good policy. On top of the nonexistence of flip-flopping in his political career, his personality seems like the kind I'd want in an American president.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for change. When Obama won the Iowa caucus, he explained that the votes weren't really for him, but rather for the change that the voters want.

I'm ready for a president that won't attack people solely on the basis that we don't like them. I want a president with a plan, with eloquence, a person that will change the image of America for the better (because let me tell you, we sure need it). Like I told Senator Obama, I'm his biggest fan. Search for him on YouTube; check his Web site. You will not be disappointed.

Roujin Mozaffarimehr is a senior political science and Italian double major.