The hopemonger

I ask a question. Why do I now look for the results of the latest democratic primaries on CNN and open the newspaper for the latest articles with an enthusiasm usually reserved for the doings of the England cricket team or Aston Villa!

Answer: Barack Obama.

I have blogged before about the senator from Illinois and I spent my reading time on the plane to and from NY devouring his book "The audacity of hope". Since my last blog his campaign across the States has gathered increasing momentum so that his rival Hilary Clinton (with the support of husband Bill) is no longer the shoe in everyone thought.

So what is it about this guy which so fires the imagination. Perhaps it is above all because he is so counter cultural for a successful American politician. Consider:

• He is not a machine politician unlike members of the Bush and Clinton dynasties.
• He was raised in a single parent family.
• He grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia.
• He would be the first black president.
• He is not afraid of saying things will not be easy.
• He was one of the few to oppose the Iraq war from the beginning.
• He is a democrat but is still willing to express his Christian faith.

He majors on hope and his rallies echo with the slogan "yes we can". But the cynics argue there is no substance and his opponents say he will eventually wilt before the experience and political street cred of Hilary and Bill.

Hope is a hugely powerful word and hope has sustained me in hard times these past 2 years. It is easy sometimes to want to hide away from the challenges of the business life or to wonder if that prayer for healing or a safe journey is worth the candle.

Part of Barack's message is based on his own journey and folk like him challenge me to make the most of all I have been given and in all that to live by hope.

He will be tested in the days ahead and rightly so. But I hope that Americans will have the courage to elect him and if they do you can be sure of a wind of change that will blow beyond the shores of America and affect us all.