Accidental Blogger

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has picked up the endorsement of the Houston Chronicle. The Chronicle also reports that despite the old and influential network of the Clintons in Texas, a huge victory for Hillary Clinton is not guaranteed due mainly to a trend of younger voters leaning toward Obama. We’ll have to wait until March 4 to find out.

The presidency of the United States is a powerful bully pulpit. The occupant of the White House must not only issue orders, but also inspire and advocate for all Americans.

Of the two finalists for the Democratic presidential nomination, the Chronicle believes Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois is best-qualified by life experience, skill and temperament to be the standard bearer for his party. In a conference call, Obama told the Chronicle editorial board that "more than any other candidate, I can bridge some of the partisan as well as racial and religious divides that have developed in this country that prevent us from getting things done."

The 46-year-old Obama has expanded his base of support, winning new legions of supporters. The more people see and hear him, the more they like him. As the Hawaiian-born son of a Muslim Kenyan father and an Anglo Midwesterner, the devoutly Christian Obama transcends race and religion. His life has been one of involvement with disadvantaged Chicago residents, excellence at Harvard Law School and eight years as an Illinois state senator. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, only the third African-American to serve there since Reconstruction.

Obama is both the epitome of the American Dream and well-positioned to reach out to an international community alienated by recent U.S. go-it-alone policies.

The passion and excitement that Obama has brought to the race can only stimulate more citizens to participate in the electoral process. The Chronicle urges Texas Democrats to cast what could be decisive ballots for his presidential nomination.

Obama also has an unlikely but enthusiastic constituency in a faraway land which can neither vote for him nor influence public opinion in the US.  Residents of the western port town of Obama, in the Fukui prefecture of Japan are watching the US presidential contest with keen interest. They have a clear favorite – they are nuts about Obama.

OBAMA, Japan — Barack Obama has never been to this port town on Japan’s snowy west coast, and residents only know him from news reports about his faraway campaign for the U.S. presidency.

No matter. Obama the town is nuts about Obama the man. Obama’s name is on posters hung in the main hotel. Headbands and T-shirts with drawings of the candidate’s face will be available soon. Local confectioners are designing Japanese-style sweet bean cakes with Obama’s portrait on them Policy doesn’t seem to matter much either to this Obama, which is well-known in Japan for its lacquerware. Instead, the overriding issue is simple: Obama’s name.

"Obama gives good speeches and has a good voice, so I want him to do well. And, of course, we share the same name," said Seiji Fujiwara, a hotel executive and leader of a local support group established earlier this month for the Illinois senator.

As fanciful as it may seem, leaders in Obama — which means "little beach" in Japanese — are serious about forging a relationship with the candidate. The mayor, Toshio Murakami, sent Obama a letter a year ago with a gift of lacquerware chopsticks, a DVD introducing the city, and a guidebook, but no one knows if the package arrived because they never received a response.

The town 250 miles west of Tokyo is undaunted. Murakami plans to send Obama another care package, this one with a fist-sized lacquerware good-luck daruma doll with the word "victory" across the chest in Japanese calligraphy.

"We want to ask him to stop by Obama as president if he visits," said Sadakazu Tsu-bouchi, an official at city hall.