Third Prophecy Fulfilled

Previously I hinted at the existence of another prophecy yet to come. Well, the time has come to reveal that, indeed, the third prophecy has been fulfilled. I really wanted to mention this earlier, but I had to wait till the time was ripe.

In November 2004, while watching the election results and waiting to see if George Bush or John Kerry would be the next President, I had a stunning revelation. I had seen Barack Obama give one of the keynote addresses at the Democratic National Convention earlier that year, and was impressed with his oratorical skills, if not what he actually had to say. On Election Night, imagine my surprise when there he was again, being interviewed on camera on every network, after winning his Senate race by a substantial margin (somewhere around 72% of the vote, as I recall) and against token opposition. Initially, and only briefly, I couldn't understand how and why this local nobody was getting such a national stage. Then suddenly, the blinding flashbulb of truth went off in my head and I could see with crystal clarity:

Barack Obama was already running for higher office. And there's really only one office higher than US Senator.

I turned to those watching with me, pointed at the TV screen, and pronounced, "If John Kerry loses tonight, that man right there, Barack Obama, is going to be the Democratic nominee for President in 2008."

I was met with blank stares and dismissive ridicule.

The next four years were somewhat lonely ones (not really) as I held to my position, telling any who would listen (and there weren't many) about my prediction. Every time, the immediate reply would be "Barack Who?"

If there were other people in this country who, like me, were not surprised when Obama announced his candidacy for President, I haven't heard of or from them. And now, with the 2008 Democratic Convention behind us, my prophecy from so long ago is fulfilled. I consider this one to be an even longer shot than the prediction of the GM strike.

Note that I did not predict he would be President, however. That flashbulb hasn't gone off yet.