Walter Shapiro writes this glowing piece for Salon.
With his rock star visit to New Hampshire, the highflying senator
continues to tantalize Democrats with intimations of a White House run
-- and a buzz not felt in American politics since JFK.
Obama addressed the largest pre-presidential-primary crowd in modern
New Hampshire history Sunday afternoon, Democratic state party chair
Kathy Sullivan was sitting directly behind the Illinois senator. From
her vantage point, Sullivan saw exactly what Obama saw -- 1,500 rapt
faces staring up at him with curiosity, affection and hope. Turning to
her seatmate Sylvia Larsen, the president of the state Senate, Sullivan
whispered, "Imagine what it must be like to be him." For Obama, the "Imagine" has almost reached John Lennon levels. His
political ascent has already reached those star-studded heights where
even political insiders like Sullivan cannot fully comprehend the
pressures from the adoration and expectations that envelop him. He was
not supposed to run for president this time, for Obama was the
Democratic future held in reserve for 2012 or 2016. We are witnessing
something rare -- a would-be candidate tantalizingly signaling his
potential availability and the rank-and-file of the Democratic Party
responding beyond his most rapturous dreams.
