John,

Lifting my spirits won't erase my memory of how I felt 16 years ago about an idealistic and youthful politician who burst on the national stage full of the promise that he would "alter our entire world presence and possibly the saftey of the planet." His most enduring legacy turned out to be the presidency of George W. Bush. My sense of betrayal over that runs so deep that I could never support another Clinton for president.

Barack Obama may very well be the "genuine article" as you confidently claim. As with Bill Clinton 16 years ago, the evidence in support of that claim is thin. In 2002 the British musician Robb Johnson released an album titled "The Triumph of Hope Over Experience". That phrase nicely describes my support for Obama.