Once and for all, I just want to explain where I stand.

It’s not about drinking the Kool-aid. I am not so naive as to think that any politician, any HUMAN, can solve all of our problems, or save us from ourselves.

And it’s not about scrutinizing his policies in an effort to ensure that I agree with every single word the man says. For me, politics has always been about choosing “the lesser of two evils”. But then, I don’t think Obama is evil, either. No, he’s not the Messiah . . . but neither is he the Anti-Christ . . .

and yet, watching this man, I have hope. and that hope frightens me to death, because I am not sure that my heart will be able to handle seeing this hope deferred yet again.

So no, I don’t see Obama as a solution to all that ails us . . . but what I DO see is a man of integrity, a man who genuinely loves his wife (when’s the last time we saw THAT in the White House?) and who is finally offering us a refreshing departure from politics as usual.

But in this country, we have far too often responded to hope by crushing that hope underfoot.

And I just don’t know if my soul can take another crushing.