He has shown his ability to connect by winning the Iowa caucuses in a state that is 94.6 percent White and coming in a very close second in New Hampshire , which has a population that is 95.8 percent White. He also made an impressive showing in Nevada despite the racial undertone thrown at him by the Clinton campaign.

     Obama's plans for change and reform are inspiring. Clinton and Edwards criticize Obama for not making universal health coverage mandatory. But Obama understands that the problem is not that people don't want health care coverage, it is that they can't afford it. To make it mandatory, would be a hardship for workers who already have to make choices between food, clothing and gasoline for their cars. There has to be a way to make sure that people have access to health care without having to make it mandatory with resulting penalties for those who choose a competing priority over health care premium payments.

     Obama also has an edge over his rivals about the war in Iraq . He has been an outspoken critic of the war even before he was elected to the U.S. Senate. This is a war that should never have been waged, he argues. It is clear that President George W. Bush took this country to war in an unprecedented and unilateral way. This was an attack on a country that had not attacked the United States - damaging our country's image in the rest of the world, and causing tens of thousands of lives to be lost or damaged.

      We need a new President who will not only change the way our country looks at the rest of the world, but change the way the rest of the world looks at our country. Electing Barack Obama can do that.

     When he was introduced at Ebenezer Baptist Church here on Jan. 20, the Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock referred to that intangible that goes along with supporting Barack Obama.  Warnock said Obama's candidacy is "the embodiment of Dr. King's dream. Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican or an Independent, he makes us proud."

     This is the thing that was brought home to me when Michelle Obama spoke to an audience at the Trumpet Awards at the Civic Center a week earlier on Jan. 13.  She said her husband is the right candidate "not because of the color of his skin, but because of the quality and consistency of his character."  She went on to acknowledge the doubters and naysayers who say America is not ready for a Black president.

      But she added, "Something big, something new is happening. Let's build the future we all know is possible. Let's show our kids that America is ready for Barack Obama right now."

     I think she's right. Something big is happening. This is more than a political campaign. This is a movement that is coming from the people of America , and it is gaining momentum everyday. Somehow Obama saw this with the publication of his book, "The Audacity of Hope." He went on to disclose everything about his personal life in his second book which came out last year. This leaves nothing for his detractors to expose. His brilliance and charisma are catching the wave of change that America wants and needs.

     During his speech at Ebenezer, Obama said it himself -- "Change doesn't happen from the top down. It happens from the bottom up." He has given voice to this wave that is moving across America . Let's join the wave and give him our vote right here in Georgia on Feb. 5. I'll look for you at the polls.

-- M. Alexis Scott, Publisher/CEO