I have been supporting Obama for quite some time.  If I go back into my AIM records, I can probably find the exact date (somewhere around the time I learned about him in 2004) that I said, this is the guy that should be running for President, not John Kerry.  I also jokingly wanted his runningmate to be Jon Steward from the Daily Show.  But, Obama I was serious about. 

 As Obama's movement has grown, and as I have stood at many of his rallies and townhall discussions, I have grown accustomed to his rhetoric and style of speech.  Being a musician, and being quite addicted to one or two bands over a long period of time, it is easy to become disillusioned by the artists' performances after learning their style, their method, and their idea patterns.  Just like anything you feel you know in and out, it can become old.  Practically being able to play an entire song by heart of your favorite band after attending a bunch of their concerts is not much different from being able to recite an Obama speech after hearing it 5+ times in two days.  And of course, just like with my favorite bands, after hearing them perform many times over, I became disillusioned with Obama.

I was not disillusioned because his message changed or his demeanor changed or his style, method, or ideas changed.  I became disillusioned with the movement because he could say the same message 4 or 5 times in a day and get the same response at each stop during his day, whereas after each stop I would feel less and less inspired.  The glare of the words lost their appeal to me as they grew in others.  After hearing his ideas over and over, the cynic in me was overtaken by the question, what change can anyone bring through government?  Am I just getting excited over a few things that he represents? 

Anyway, my road back from disillusionment arose from this last question. I believe the answer is yes for most people.  Even if Obama can't succeed as the next progressive legislator President (obviously some Progressives don't like his non-mandate healthcare proposal, so in some of their eyes he has already failed), I am convinced that his very presence in the White House will begin to heal the wounds that our country has sustained during the Bush administration.  The President's position is more important as commander in chief, not as chief legislator.  Just as others, I too support Obama for a few important issues that he represents and because he falls under the umbrella of liberal ideology and change from the current administration, both of which are essential to my choice as President, I can accept these few important issues that he represents as the most important issues for this Presidential election.

Government is not permanent; it is susceptible to corruption and vulnerable to apathy.  Our last two Presidents have failed: Clinton's ability to tell the truth; Bush's ability to analyze and rationalize choices.  If it is faith in government that is important in the long run, and it should be to any patriot, we need to elect characters we can have faith in.