Barack Obama – more than just an identity

"I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington… I'm asking you to believe in yours." – Sen. Barack Obama

He's got the looks, he's got the voice and he's got style. To put it very simply, the Illinois Senator, has certainly made his mark.

Barack Obama speaks of change. While the world waits, he calls on the people of the United States of America to be a part of this change that would see humanity triumph. He makes us believe in it. Such optimism in this day and age amidst sorrow, poverty and disease is remarkable indeed. Yet, who is he? What is he? And above all, does he really matter to us?

Well, as we have come to realize, the United States remains the undisputed leader of the world (somewhat economically challenged with the rise of Asian giants, India and China) and whether we like it or not, he (or she) who rules US, rules the world. Hence the US Presidential election is of utmost importance to even a newborn child in the most rural part of Sri Lanka, although there is very little we can do about it.

I am not a political analyst, but as we've all seen, the race is too close to call. With the Former first lady, Hilary Clinton winning the Democratic caucuses in Texas and Ohio and regaining her momentum and glory, the race to the White House (at least in the eyes of Democrats) has been made just a tinge harder.

The policies of the two Democratic candidates are largely similar. Both want to end the war in Iraq and restore America's standing in the world; reform the health-care system, bringing about a more cost-efficient scheme that would cover everybody; and move towards a 'green economy,' which cuts carbon emission and create job opportunities at the same time. Therefore, only time will tell who is best to execute these plans. Sen. Clinton, boasting of experience and expertise holds a favourable edge.

Yet, Obama boasts of another, unconventional type of experience rarely seen in a Presidential frontrunner. Born in Hawaii to a Kenyan father and a white American mother, and later raised by an Indonesian step father, Obama's identity has been a significant factor.

His middle name being 'Hussein,' merely adds to this. However, it's more than identity, for Sen. Obama can see the world through the others' eyes and knows what it means not to be American (which, incidentally accounts for over 95% of humanity). As the Senator himself writes, his understanding of issues is drawn from personal experiences. "My father crossed an ocean to seek the dream of America. As a boy, I played barefoot with children in Indonesia. As a young man, I worked in the forgotten corners of America, where people struggled with violence and hopelessness. Whether I am at a G8 summit or in Africa, I will speak not just as someone who mastered my brief, but also as someone whose grandmother lives in a hut without indoor plumbing in a Kenyan village devastated by HIV / AIDS," Obama wrote last year before the start of the race.

There is more. At 46, if elected, he would be the fourth youngest U. S. President and one of the most inexperienced Oval office occupants. Born in 1961, Obama belongs more to Generation Y than been a late baby boomer. Thus, he is one of us, one of the rest of the world and one of the future. But, he needs more than just a comforting voice to get him to the White House.