Audacity is the word

This week Barack Obama officially announced his candidacy to become the first black president in the history of America. Speaking at Springfield, Illinois -- where one Bill Clinton officially began his campaign, and where Lincoln served for eight years before becoming president -- he delivered a characteristically Obama speech: modest yet bold, and charming for exactly that reason.

He is a political light-weight, of course. But maybe, experience is over-rated. At a time when America (and the world) are desperately longing for some sort of change -- any change -- the lack of political baggage can be a good thing. Being the smart former lawyer that he is, he rarely misses an opportunity to point that out.

"I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change."

It's still early days, but I like the audacity of Obama. He's smart and he's likeable. There is something about the spirited under-dog that strikes a chord with us (atleast does with me), something very appealing about the story of rising against the odds in search of glory, for why else would an England win over Australia bring a grin to our faces.