[KevinTheOmnivore]

Lieberman? What the hell are you talking about?

Obama is the most popular Democrat in the country, period. He would draw the base out without even blinking, which whould allow him to work the independents and the moderates almost his entire campaign.

abc, I get your point, however that's a double-edged sword. Unfortunately it would seem the more "expereince" you get in the U.S. Senate, the more you're damning yourself. Ask John Kerry and Joe Lieberman. You can ask John McCain in a year or so. In the senate, you vote for so many damn things, so many bills with silly rifers and hidden pork, it's nearly impossible to serve in the senate and not be easily smeared. Ironically, this may be the best time for Obama to run.

Politcal stars can also burn out pretty quickly. Believe it or not, there was a time when Dan Quayle was considered a bright star in the GOP. He went to the White House too soon, became a punch line, and burned out. Obama runs the same risk.

We also nee to ask a more basic question-- will America elect a black president? Look at harold Ford. He ran as white as he could, and still he was racially smeared...and it worked!

Another inexperienced, atractive, and well spoken senator also ran for president once, and he became a pretty popular president. It may be shallow, but we aren't beyond identity politics in this country.