. . . it looks like we have a Democratic Presidential Nominee.

I haven’t been exactly open here as to who I’ve supported, but after Dennis Kucinich gave up the fight, I shifted my support and attention to Barack Obama. He wasn’t the most typically progressive candidate left in the race (that was John Edwards, whose positions I generally supported, if not his fundraising methods).

But he became the most progressive candidate for me.

It’s the ability to motivate people. College students, elderly couples, anyone. Democrats, especially newly-registered Democrats, are out in force this primary season. And those newly-registered Democrats vote strongly in favor of Senator Obama.

It’s the speeches filled with something other than the typical.

It goes even to the Reverend Wright debacle (about which I couldn’t care less, frankly, and which got more ridiculous media coverage than just about anything deserves). Such aplomb, such candor.

Now that’s not to say I fully agree with everything Mr. Obama has to say. He’s not the perfect candidate for me.

But he just might be the perfect candidate for the United States right now.

The upshot to this long and arduous primary season has been the thousands upon thousands of more voters, more new voters, and more people excited for their respective candidate than I’ve seen in my (notably short) lifetime.

And the majority of that bustle of voters has pointed its efforts toward Mr. Obama. Not in my 21 years has a candidate removed more asses from desk chairs and put those asses in polling places.

It was during the Iowa Caucuses I first began to really admire the pull of Mr. Obama’s message. In a fascinating display of the nearest thing we have to direct democracy in this nation, motivated caucus-goers pulled others to the Obama camp, forwarding a message of hope, a message of change.

And now it’s Obama vs. McCain.

You know who I’m supporting. Support your candidate.

Vote. Vote. Vote.