In February 2008, I wrote this article, Why Obama is My Man. It has been three months since, though it seemed like three years. The Obama that I saw then looked very different from the Obama of today.

He now looks older. Maybe if we examined him closely, some grey hair must have sprouted out. He has gone through the political baptism of fire. In the words of the English proverb, a lot of water has passed through that bridge ever since. He came out of it, looking wiser.

Before North Carolina, I started an unfinished article titled Why Obama is Still My Man. In it, I presented a new set of arguments. They were the impersonal. I began by picturing the world in the next four years, wondering what America and the world would look like, what America and the world would need, and who amongst the candidates is better placed to deliver it - McCain, Clinton or Obama.

Within the next four years, 43-year-old Dimity Medvedev will be in charge of Russia, 42-year-old David Cameron will be in charge of Britain, 53-year-old child of a Hungarian immigrant, Nicholas Sarkozy, will be in charge of France and in Germany will be 54-year-old Angela Merkel. It is proper that America should be Obama’s country and not the 71-year-old John McCain.

I looked at the old and new conflicts of the world. I estimated that “obliterating Iran” is not a new language but an old one -the one that has been tried for several years and had given us nothing but trouble. It gave us trouble in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia and in Latin America. It is therefore proper that Obama’s language of change prevails.

I looked at American soldiers in Germany, Korea and Japan. They are the products of believers in the 100-year war. The philosophy that kept us in this polarized world of 100-year wars was inherited from our fathers -a world where expensive checkmates are preferred to some negotiated peace. To update the dreams of our fathers, America should be Obama’s country.

I looked at countries like Cuba, Syria, North Korea and Burma. I reviewed the history of our past - a past where we vowed not to talk to our enemies. I looked at Libya, a country once in that column that moved away when we talked to it at the insistence of the British. And I know that Obama’s language of change prevails.

Beyond the conflicts, I looked at the new emerging world -a world where new guards of countries are on the march up. It is a world of globalization, interconnectivity, and multiracial leadership at the new top. The world needs some new understandings, new dreams, and new perspectives. Obama’s world would be at home in the new world to come.

I looked at the energy crisis. I see McCain and Clinton pandering to voters’ fears while Obama was trying to advocate a long term solution. I was immediately reminded of that great saying that a politician thinks about the next election while a statesman thinks about the next generation. And Lord knows we ought to have been thinking about the next generation eight years ago.

For these and other reasons, I decided before North Carolina that Obama is still my man, in spite of everything.

And, then came North Carolina. He won. And he climbed the podium and gave his acceptance speech. In his speech, he showed that he understood. That he, like Thomas Jefferson before him, “admired the dreams of the future more than the history of the past.” He showed his understanding that like Edwin Markham, when others draw a circle to keep us out, the best response built out of love is to draw a bigger circle and bring others in.

Having Obama come after Bush would have a once in a generation kind of transforming impact on America and the world had never seen. It would be as humongous as what would have happened if the Catholic cardinals had been bold enough to elect an African pope or a Latin American pope. But the Catholic Church chickened out when it mattered most.

I have known America to be bold. I have known America to be a pathfinder. America has shown again and again that it is a pacesetter.

I am watching America and what it does with Obama. My gut feeling tells me that America will do the right thing and retain its place on the front line of the world.

Obama has grown from being my man to still being my man. I am happy that he has transcended all that to get to the level where anyone who wants real change can stand up and simply say: he is the man.

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Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo is the author of Children of Retired God.

Robot  Villager

# 1 And, then came North Carolina...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 09.05.2008 20:37

award  Villager

# 2 Rudolf just last time u insinuated that Obama should start preparing for a funeral to his bid of becoming an American's president but today you are now singing another tune....Ur u-turn could not have been unconnected with the latest victory recorded by Barack......... But why should you allow your instincts to cajole you so easily, making you sing with a less than 'faithful' tune ? There should be high degree of consistency in your diaries Posted by award| 09.05.2008 21:49

Fine Naija Bobo  Villager

# 3 Obama is going to surprise red-neck Americans; but the question, I have not been able to resolve is: Who is using Jeremiah Wright? Or, like a TIME columnist noted this week, is Wright scared that an Obama win might remove the platform for anti-(white)American slogans, on which many of them have achieved prominence? Who is afraid of the consequent 'equality'? What does Wright want? Posted by Fine Naija Bobo| 10.05.2008 07:56

ajis15  Villager

# 4 Rudolf: Well said. However, your last article sounds like a funeral dirge on Obama's dream. Like you and I, we both love the man, and given the prevailing circumstances we sometimes doubt whether this dream will come true. I think it is time we start thinking like this great man: Never say die. Thank you my brother, we shall both celebrate in November. Amen. Posted by ajis15| 10.05.2008 10:41

omo naija  Villager

# 5 While i enjoyed watching Obama and sincerely want him to win both the nomination and the presidency, America politics is the least of my wahala now while naija is burning nothing seems to be going right there, even in the midst of plenty people are suffering, while people those i know and don't know keep flooding me with petitions of one kind or the other to help them, i can't think straight right now, maybe i am one of those liberals that expert say want change that will bring equity, justice and etc, but things seems to be eluding them, that is why the liberals are unhappy because the changes they seek keeps eluding them, unlike the consevative who they say are happy, because they like the status quo, self help or you can make it if you try, instead of waiting for handout from government or anyone else. MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS NIGERIA AND AFRICA AND HAVE MERCY ON THE TROUBLED CONTINENT, AMEN. Posted by omo naija| 10.05.2008 12:26

uche100  JJC

# 6 Most of all. If Obama wins, African leaders might be inspired to do something positive. On the other hands, African-Americans would have some kind of pride that could motivates their youth. Posted by uche100| 10.05.2008 18:31