OK so I’m catching a little flack – not unexpected, BTW – from familar quarters following yesterday’s post on Barack Obama. But if there is one image from last night’s Super Tuesday extravaganza that sticks out more than anything else, it was the contrast between the victory speeches given by the Republican front-runner for the presidential nomination and, arguably, the Democrats’ leading candidate.

There was John McCain, raising his arms in triumph and surrounded by a group of all-caucasian senior citizens (including, God bless her, his 92-year old mother). Sure, he was gracious in his victory, complementing Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney for their efforts, but take away the obvious political setting, and you could have been watching any group of people from the local Senior Center out on a field trip to the local shopping mall.

Contrast that with Barack Obama, surrounded by an enthusiastic group of people, young and old, of various races and genders, hanging on his every word and well-turned phrase – some crying in the emotion of the moment – delivering yet another passionate message for change, contrasting his candidacy with the “politics of the past”. Were I a Clinton or McCain supporter (which I’m not, BTW), you wouldn’t have to hit me over the head with a brick to know who Obama was speaking about here.

Make no mistake about Barack Obama – like him or hate him, you have to respect what his candidacy has brought to the 2008 presidential race. People tend to forget that just a few short months ago, Madame Hillary! was the candidate with the money, the power-brokers of her party, and her syncophants in the mainstream media cloaking her with the title of “inevitable”. Now she finds herself in the race of her (and her cheating husband’s) life.

Is Obama an empty suit? Who knows? But anyone who underestimates his candidacy does so at their own peril. I can guarantee you the GOP is praying that Hillary! is her party’s nominee; they see what’s going on and don’t want any part of Obama. Can you imagine a nationally-televised presidential debate between McCain and Obama with the two standing side-by-side?

And lest you think in these comments that I’m being mean to Senator McCain or to seniors, remember this is politics in a high-stakes game and that I’m not the only one who noticed this.