Getting to Know Barack Obama

A quick caveat. I try hard to find stories that seem reasonably accurate about the various Democratic candidates that I have been profiling for the 2008 presidential race. I don't want just cream puff stories (nor do I wish to avoid friendly stories) so I find myself very cautious when I come across negative stories by people I don't know. Rush Limbaugh, of course, is easy; very little he says is reliable. Nevertheless, I have to note that there is a growing noise coming from the right that is designed to obscure who the candidates are. The recent fabrication about Barack Obama's education in Indonesia is a classic example of the Republican Party's breakdown when it comes to integrity and accurately informing the public. Swiftboating, for example, will always be associated with the Republican Party of this era. The GOP, as it is now constituted, has nothing to run on and must turn to other 'methods,' so I expect it will be increasingly difficult to sort through stories on an excellent line up of Democratic candidates. But I'll do my best.

Here's a friendly story from Chicago Defender about Barack Obama when he was in Hawaii in the 1970s:

He was known as Barry Obama, and with his dark complexion and mini-Afro, he was one of the few black students at the privileged Hawaiian school overlooking the Pacific.

Yet that hardly made him stand out.

Diversity was the norm at the Punahou School, one of the state's top private schools. The 3,600 students came from a wide variety of backgrounds, with a blend of Polynesian, Asian, European and other cultures. Everybody in Hawaii is a minority.

At Punahou, Barack Obama was known primarily for his appealing personality, his honesty and his aggressive play on the basketball court.

(snip)

By his senior year, Obama was part of a talented team with at least three college-bound players. As a backup forward, Obama helped Punahou win the state championship in 1979. Teammates described him as charismatic, a somewhat quiet leader and outspoken with coaches when he didn't agree with them or understand their methods.

"He wasn't afraid to challenge authority," Lum said. "Sometimes I couldn't believe he would say it, but I would be thinking the same thing. I remember him being honest and courageous. I respected him for that."

Well, we haven't had a president from Hawaii yet. Maybe it's time. Senator Obama, of course, represents Illinois and the best president we ever had came from there.