Please please Obama don't hurt em....

Senator Barack Obama (D - IL) has established an exploratory committee for a run at the Presidency in 2008. In the hours following yesterday's announcement, pundits and various talking heads juggled enthusiasm with skepticism about the nascent Obama candidacy. A key question is whether or not the Junior Senator from Illinois has enough experience and political skills to take a shot at the White House.

If it's a question of political skills, this is a man who, when faced with the challenges of becoming the first African-American President, and what the Muslim - sounding words "Barack Hussain Obama" might conjure up in the minds of nervous swing voters, started his candidacy on the day between Martin Luther King Day and Muhammad Ali's 65th birthday. By doing so, Obama has planted himself in the country's subconscious between its two greatest African-American icons, proving his political skills in one stroke of inspiration and good timing. Beat that, Hillary.