I’ve never even made eye contact.  But I have been mere feet from him a couple of times, last summer in a gymnasium in Independence Missouri, and then again on Saturday, at the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, where he delivered an inspiring speech at twilight.  I was twenty feet away.   And there is something about the man – he is inspiring and he moves people.  

That is just how it is.  Sorry, wingnuts, but thems the facts, pure and simple.  Allow me to illustrate –

This man:    

Draws this kind of crowd:

And the better we get to know Mrs. Dunham’s grandson, the more we like him, apparently.  

As voters have gotten to know Senator Barack Obama, they have warmed up to him, with more than half, 53 percent, now saying they have a favorable impression of him and 33 percent saying they have an unfavorable view. But as voters have gotten to know Senator John McCain, they have not warmed, with only 36 percent of voters saying they view him favorably while 45 percent view him unfavorably.

Even voters who are planning to vote for Mr. McCain say their enthusiasm has waned. In New York Times and CBS News polls conducted with the same respondents before the first presidential debate and again after the last debate, Mr. McCain made no progress in appealing to voters on a personal level, and he and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, had alienated some voters.

Personal appeal is an intangible element in voters’ decisions. Each voter has a personal reason for connecting with a candidate or not. But the percentage of those who hold a favorable opinion of Mr. Obama is up 10 points since last month. Opinion of Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., Mr. Obama’s running mate, is also up, to 50 percent last weekend from 36 percent in September.

In contrast, favorable opinion of Mr. McCain remained stable, and unfavorable opinion rose to 45 percent now from 35 percent in September. Mrs. Palin’s negatives are up, to 41 percent now from 29 percent in September.

Mr. Obama’s favorability is the highest for a presidential candidate running for a first term in the last 28 years of Times/CBS polls. Mrs. Palin’s negative rating is the highest for a vice-presidential candidate as measured by The Times and CBS News.

We like him because, speaking from the heart, he inspires.  He makes people believe and he offers hope.  Hope that our best days as a nation aren’t behind us.  Hope that our children and grandchildren will continue to do better than we did and our parents did.  He conveys to us that he gets it.  It’s about opportunity and equality and fairness and decency and, yes, hope.  

Thank you for reminding us of that, Senator Obama.  After these last eight years in the wilderness, it is welcome and refreshing indeed.  Thank you for the inspiration.