I made it inside with more than 21,000 enthusiastic people in Key Arena this last Friday to hear Barack Obama speak. Three thousand people were left standing out in the cold as the arena was over capacity. Unexpectedly, Barack Obama came out to greet those eager 3,000 with a bullhorn and a 30-minute speech.

Clintons have long had their chance in office. Since 1989, either a Bush or a Clinton was in office. It’s time for real change, and Barack Obama is that change.

I watched Michael Moore’s Sicko documentary last night and learned how Hillary Clinton initially tried to create a universal healthcare plan, failed, and then stopped talking about it for the last 6 years while Bill Clinton was in office. Hillary Clinton gave into the big insurance companies and sold out. Barack Obama is not a quitter on any of his issues, including the important issue of quality and affordable healthcare for all.

Barack is interested in America and Americans. Our current president is only interested in providing tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and continuing an endless war. In addition to closing the gap between the wealthiest and poorest Americans and ending a half a trillion dollar war in 2009, one of Barack’s issues on his agenda is the environment and global warming—something the current administration and leader has refused up until very recently to acknowledge and even talk about. Read all about Barack Obama’s detailed energy and environment plans on his website at http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy.

While the Republicans are scaring us into a recession, Barack Obama sees a green energy economic boom just waiting for us to tap into. At Key Arena, Barack Obama had this to say about his plan regarding energy and the environment:
“If we are ready for change, then we can actually have an economic development policy that’s built around save the planet—an energy policy that makes sense…We are going to cap greenhouse gases. We are going to fine polluters for all the greenhouse gas they send into the air…We will invest in solar and wind and biodiesel. We will raise air emission standards on cars. If we raise fuel economy standards to 45 miles per gallon, we will save the equivalent of all the oil we import from the Persian Gulf—all of it...I didn’t do it for posterity. I didn’t come to Seattle—that would be too easy. I went to Detroit in front of automakers and I told them they had to change their ways. And I have to say, the room was pretty quiet. Nobody clapped. But that’s ok, because part of what you need from the next president is someone who won’t just tell you what they think you want to hear. But instead what you need to hear…”

We have lost our rank and respect worldwide as a nation, and Barack Obama can help us regain our status in the world as the great nation that we are. Barack Obama speaks clearly, simply, and sincerely. He presents himself as an open book without any doublespeak that we’ve been so used to hearing from our presidents. You know where he stands and know that you can trust him. He can unite our county across our many divisions—republican and democrat, rich and poor, old and young, gay and straight, people with disabilities and people without disabilities, immigrants and citizens, black and white. Hearing him speak, I couldn't help but feel I was in the presence of someone truly great—a hero, a friend, a leader, and soon—our nation’s next president.