So, Barack Obama is going to become the Democratic nominee for the 44th president of the United States of America. The first black to ever hold such a title. Can you believe, not just 143 years ago, probably would have been a slave in this country. Yesterday, Shepard Smith of the Fox News Channel said it best. At our country's inception, he would have been counted 3/5th of a person and 2/5th property. And going back to his Kenyan father's roots, it's only been 45 years since Kenya gained it's independence from Great Britain in 1963. America signed into law the Civil Rights Act in 1964, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race. That was just 44 years ago. And in that short time, while it took my ancestors nearly 100 years to strike down discrimination, it only took us 44 years to get a black nominee. We're moving forward America. We really can change.

All that said, I am a true bipartisan moderate. I am proud beyond words that there is a positive black male role model at the forefront of these elections, and I hope a lot of black men will look up to him and aspire to do something positive with their lives like he has. But on the other hand, I have to take a step back from that and weigh the issues. Who do I think will be the best candidate to lead this country come next January? Will it be McCain that I vote for, or will it be Obama? I'm hoping the Clintons will be completely out of the picture, because I just can't see myself supporting an Obama/Clinton ticket. Then again, McCain hasn't announced his VP candidate either, so I'm a bit worried on both sides. Nevertheless, this was the election set-up I was hoping for. Now, no matter who wins, I think I'll be satisfied. I really like both candidates (for different reasons, of course), and I think both have some changes in mind that would be good for this country. The campaign trail is heating up and I for one am excited about it. You can bet that I'll be casting my absentee ballot in November!