As black pols go, Obama is a cheap immitation of Cory Booker, Newark’s mayor — who is the real deal. Both are too young for prez.
In my two years in Chicago, I had four congressmen (Bobby Rush, Barack Obama, Sidney Yates, and Jan Schakowsky). I met all of the above with the exception of Yates, and must say that Obama was the most personable, and at least gave his constituents the time of day. The same cannot be said of Rush (nice one on one, but foams at the mouth whenever a camera appears), Sidney Yates (out in la la land due to dementia/senility toward the end of his career) and Schakowsky (picture an uglier Ruth Messinger with a shrieking voice).
That being said, ideology aside, Obamamania will likely lead to a Veep spot, not the top of the ticket. At this point in the last campaign I was calling it for John Edwards. I may have been wrong then, but may not be wrong this time around.