Obama-mania has swept the country. Recently, Barack stopped during a speech, telling the audience he had to stop and blow his nose. The audience subsequently broke into applause. His wife, Michelle Obama, seems to believe Barack possesses almost supernatural abilities. She said this about her husband: “That is why I am here, because Barack Obama is the only person in this who understands that. That before we can work on the problems, we have to fix our souls. Our souls are broken in this nation.” Wow, that is pretty impressive, as I always thought soul fixing was God’s territory.

Many Americans an enraptured with Obama’s persona, but know little about the man behind the hype. Barack Obama has gone through great effort to conceal his identity and to appear more centrist, which is reflected in his rhetoric and his voting record. During his tenure in the Illinois Legilature, he voted “present” 129 times when faced with controversial issues, rather than yes or no.

There are several obvious clues that give insight into his true character and worldview. While an Illinois legislator, Obama voted against the Induced Infant Liability Act, which would have protected babies that survived late-term abortions. He believes sex education for kindergarteners is “the right thing to do”, as long as it is “age-appropriate”. Obama has a 95 percent liberal rating from Americans for Democratic Reform. He voted against the Patriot Act, and against confirming Justices Alito and Roberts. However, we can gain in comfort in his purported ability to reach out to Muslims and his time spent abroad in his youth. Obama said this, “If I go to Jakarta and address the largest Muslim country on earth, I can say, ‘Apa kabar,’ — you know, ‘How are you doing?’ — and they can recognize that I understand their common humanity.”

So much about Obama remains a mystery. He speaks in generalities and glittering, idyllic platitudes. His soaring rhetoric offers boatloads of “hope”, but no substantial plans. He speaks of “change”, but his words do little to belie the kind of change he supports. Obama seems confident he is an agent of change, and said this during a speech, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

What kind of change does Obama hope to implement? Does a changed America mean a socialist “utopian” America? Is Barack’s idea of positive change a shift to “progressive” social values? Are his economic and tax policies going to leave us “hoping” for a little “change” left in our pockets? Voters are left to project their hopes, and in some cases fears, onto the blank slate that is Obama.

What has Obama really accomplished and what does he stand for? Amusingly enough, even Barack supporter Sen. Kirk Watson (in video below) doesn’t seem to know: