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I was working for Salon during the 2000 elections. It was a fun time – the Salon Politics site was in full swing. At the Salon Politics party in DC, I shared a taxi with a drunken Christopher Hitchens and later inadvertently invited myself up to Arianna Huffington’s place for drinks at 2 in the morning (she made the mistake of sitting next to me at dinner, graciously loaning me her coat when I got cold, deftly entertaining our table by engaging Stanley Crouch on what it means to be a Republican – she is not, he is – before allowing me and some of the other Salonistas up to her condo for “one last drink”).

What was not fun was election night. As the news room gathered around the tv to watch the votes roll in, the mood was eerie. I got home before the final tally and as I sat reloading the sites I was monitoring, I vowed to myself that I would leave the country if George W won.

I was pleased to be able to keep that promise to myself, sitting out the following 4 years and next election in France and sending money to any candidate I thought might have a fighting chance to beat the incumbent (I liked John Edwards back then too, ever since that profile the New Yorker ran in 2002). I watched all the debates from my office in Geneva with a funny mix of American and non-Americans where the unspoken rules were no one could heckle. It was hard. I was embarassed for myself and my country.

This time around I am back in the states and am already feeling anxious. I am obsessed with caucus, primary and polling data and leading up to February 5th is making me twitchy. From very early on, I have really liked Obama (possibly also from a New Yorker profile years ago?). I agree with those that say he is of the type of leader that only comes around once in a generation. I would feel proud with him in office. I even proclaimed my admiration in the most public of public ways in this day and age – I became his “fan” on facebook. I just wish he were a bit more progressive.

I have always had a soft spot for John Edwards. He is a smart and gentle Southern man that appeals to the Louisiana farm girl in me. Wouldn’t an Obama / Edwards ticket just kick some butt? Come on, admit it.

The on-line surveys tell me I should like Kucinich – but he, to borrow the phrase, didn’t have a snowballs’ chance in hell despite how cute his wife is.

But the one that I have not been able to stomach from the beginning is Hillary – and that is not only because her daughter Chelsea was a less than stellar intern at WHO before almost immediately going to McKinsey where she earns a rumored 500K (Seriously, not an impressive intern. But I suppose one doesn’t have to impress with actual work if you are part of the Clinton Clan.). Though I don’t think I’ll vow to leave the country if she wins.

Counting the days til Georgie is mister EX president…

And don’t just listen to me, here is better, more thoughtful reasoning for why one should support Obama – from the guy behind the very funny xkcd comic.

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