Is Barack Obama Just Another Politician?

I know this question has been asked many times over the past few weeks. I know that I am not the first to comment on this too. I want to add my voice to the multitudes though. First off, I am not a naturalized citizen yet, so I can't vote, but I have followed the primaries with great interest. I also feel that my view as an outsider is valuable for voters who still need to decide.

When the primaries started I supported Hillary Clinton. I watched with glee as he was attacked for Reverend Wright and thought that surely my candidate would now turn the tables on a surging Obama campaign. I could not for the life of me figure out how he could not have known of Wright's subversive views. I really felt that he needed to leave the church. The fact that he did not do so, did not signal loyalty and "standing by your man" to me. It indicated to me then that the political clout he had gained from being a member there was just too precious to let go of. I felt what I termed "justifiable" concerns at that stage. Then the man made the speech on race and I watched in awe as he hacked away all my doubts, all my reservations with powerful words of racial reconciliation. Coming from South Africa, I could really appreciate this. I remember saying to my husband that if this man had run for president in South Africa, I would have voted for him.

I then studied every last bit of his website. I read up about him. I was transfixed. Every chance I got, I listened to his speeches on change and how we could all affect change. I read up on his voting record and decided that he is not your average politician and deserved my support. Even though I am not voting, I definitely have an interest in seeing the best candidate for president being chosen. I was quite happy with my cool aid at that stage.

Barack won the candidacy for the Democratic Party and I was ecstatic. Europe and Africa was ecstatic. In Kenya they had parties in his honor. The world remarked how for the first time it seems that Americans are showing that they are not the arrogant monsters they are made out to be. It was his moment. Now everything seems to have changed for so many of his supporters though. He has changed his mind on gun control, privacy issues (FISA), campaign finance and a host of other issues. The one that upset me the most was his support of the wiretapping act just passed by the Senate. I had a moment of intense disbelief and then some anger. The change agent is just another politician.

I would not be swayed from my disgust until I read an article in "The Times" concerning this apparent turn around. How did I expect him to change politics and unite both Republicans and Democrats if he did not do this from the middle of the road. I thought that he should remain firm on his liberal views regarding gun control and our privacy, but then it hit me that he needed to be seen to understand and embrace both sides of the coin to a certain extent. Don't get me wrong, I am not excited about this turn of events, but I see the need for him to do this.

I still believe that he will change things in this country that I now proudly call my home. I still believe that voting for him is essential if the US wants to improve public relations globally. I believe that Americans will see exactly how popular he is on his current tour to Europe and the Middle East. I do not care if the McCain campaign alleges it is merely so Obama can take a few pretty pictures. I believe that the power vested in this man, is the power to change perceptions of this country and to once again lead us to the place we need to be, that of a respected world power.