I want to stake a very clear position.  I support Barack Obama.  I support him in 2016.

I think you should support Barack for the following reasons.

1)  Barack's political missteps are not fatal in the long term.  He has real problems, they are not trivial, the Clintons also have real non trivial issues.  Next time he will dare not say his supporters won't support his opponents.  Next time he will dare not stand against democracy.  But most importantly next time it will be 4 or 8 years later and all his laundry is coming out hopefully in the primary so that even if he loses none of it is new to voters in 2016.

2)  Obama's personality is not fatally flawed.  Obama has taken positions that reveal that he may not be the worlds nicest guy under all his image.  But you know what some of my heroes are not the nicest people in private.  Obama has had a rough life and made some seriously wrong choices but I believe that he means what he has said about hope being that with God people who are bitter inside can be bringers of un-bitterness.  He may be bitter inside, he may have made corrupt bargains in the past (what politician hasn't), but I believe that he genuinely wants hopeful change.  Thats a serious positive for him.

3)  Obama is a even tempered nice guy on the surface.  If you take his surface at face value he is one of the nicest and even tempered people I have ever seen.  That is a legitimate asset in a minority that has to win over voters who WANT to not like him.  This is not a characteristic that is easy to find.

4)  Obama is charasmatic.  Sure Ford could be the first black president if Obama doesn't take the VP, but Ford probably can't fill the charm vacuum.  The recent governor of NY is black and will end the monopoly of non-black governors in NY but its more of a fizzle than a bang.  AAs want and deserve a BANG with their first president and Obama provides that while others may not.

5)  Obama is who AAs want.  We are destined to lose the AA vote soon after the first black president as racism will quickly crumble after a black president.  In a country where the black president is just like AAs each of them will be freer to reach for their full potential and the conservative ones will drift to the GOP.  But we as a party OWE them.  AAs have been very loyal to us, not loyal enough that they can blackmail us with their lack of support, not loyal enough that they can silence Florida and Michigan.  But they have been VERY VERY loyal and we OWE them our support if not in 2008 then at least in 2016 and that starts now.

Now to be clear I AM NOT VOTING FOR HIM IN 2008 and based on Demographics he is not winning in 2008.  But I think its important that as opponents of Obama we need to keep him viable for 2012 or 2016.  

I have said before that I think he does best with a Clinton/Obama ticket because the Clintons have enough good will built up that they can fight the GOP over Hillary and while doing also fight the GOP over  the Obama issues and by so doing destroy some of those issues.

Obama needs someone like Hillary or more importantly Bill arguing that he is a stand up guy that the common folk should be able to relate to.  Because there is bad blood between Obama and Hillary if the Clintons and the Obamas can GENUINELY bury the hatchet and that happens with the Clintons WINNING this round it will make it possible for the mildly racist or mildly conservative democrat who has pent up liking for Bill to transfer that like to Obama, because the transfer will occur on bubba's terms and they trust bubba and its important to them that Obama suffers a little after painting Bubba as a racist.  

To many of them they ARE bubba, they know that, they know Bubba knows that, but most importantly they know Obama knows that and they think he looks down on them.  Obama showing genuine LOVE for Bubba is what OBAMA needs in the long run to connect with the common folk.  And the more obviously hard that is for Obama (such as after losing) the more it will sway voters if it is genuine.  Its like Obama buying the guy who beat him in a fist fight a beer, thats something people understand on an emotional level as a gutsy and brave action even if they were cheering the guy to beat Obama's ass.  That kind of emotional connection turns hate into respect and finally into love and Obama has a way to have the Bubba's of the world LOVE and RESPECT him.

Gore, Kerry, Edwards, Dukakis, Carter, Kennedy, Pelosi, etc etc etc none of them can offer this get out of redneck hell card that the Clintons can offer.  It may not seem fair to Obama but thems the facts.

I think as supporters of Clinton we need to also consider the angle that one day Obama may be our flag bearer not just in the sense that he is the Democratic party man  but he may one day be the Clinton faction man.  As such we need to make sure that we don't damage him for 2016.  The winner of this primary will NEED the other as a running mate and that may lead to VERY strange changes in political backing.  Hillary needs Obama's voters and would be willing to bargain future support and that support only means something if we the Clinton faction are willing to give that conditional support in return for conditional support now.

Keep that in mind friends... =)