Gushy for Edwards and Obama

"The Legend of Barack Obama" (excerpt) from The Washingtonian:

At the heart of “Obamania” is his personality and presence—part preacher, part professor, part movie star. His charisma seems effortless, his charm an afterthought. National Journal White House reporter Alexis Simendinger recalls the first time Obama visited the White House after his election. He was mingling in the East Room with other members of Congress. As she watched him move through the crowd, a photographer asked, “Who is that guy? He’s certainly got ‘It.’ ”

The question now is how far “it” takes Obama—and how fast.

During his two years on the national stage, Obama has collected a lifetime’s worth of honors and accolades: Just months after winning the Democratic primary for the US Senate—and before he became only the third African-American since Reconstruction to serve in that body—he delivered the keynote address at the 2004 national convention. He won a Grammy for the audio version of his memoir, which spent a year on the New York Times bestseller list. He posed for photographer Annie Leibowitz for the cover of Men’s Vogue. He’s been on the cover of Newsweek. On Will & Grace, Grace said she dreamed she was in the shower with Obama and that he was “Ba-rocking my world.”

"John Edwards' Seattle visit in a word: AMAZING" from Will at WA for Edwards:

There's a lot to go over. The place was PACKED, and I mean JAMMED to the gills. People were on their toes peaking over the stacks to get a view. I got there an hour early, and it didn't take long for the place to fill up.

John gave a REALLY short speech (short for a pol), and went straight into the Q&A. Some questions were tough and some were easy, but he showed great range as he answered. I find it odd that some see Edwards as a kind of 'lightweight', but John is a Clintonian policy nerd at his heart.

Pictures will follow, but I got to say: if you missed it, I feel sorry for you! The guy has got "it." He's tapped in to the pulse of the people, and I hope he announces his candidacy soon, because I can promise he'll be a breath of fresh air.