My name is Sam Graham-Felsen and I am a blogger for the Obama campaign. This diary is crossposted on BarackObama.com.
Bob H., a Chicago lawyer and activist, was there on October 2, 2002 in Federal Plaza when a young State Senator with an unusual name stood up before a crowd and declared, "I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war."
In fact, Bob can be seen among the crowd in the thirteen seconds of video that exist from the rally:
Yesterday, when we finished editing the video from Barack's speech at DePaul University, we noticed a familiar face in the audience...
I caught up with Bob this morning, and he told me about when he first saw Barack at that rally in 2002:
I was very impressed that he came out for that speech in 2002, because there was great effort on the part the President, Republicans and others in Congress, to scare the country into going to war and pretty much all the politicians were going along with it—either bc they agreed or were afraid to disagree.
His speech was incredibly eloquent and incisive. There are a lot of people in that crowd who would think of themselves as against war in any circumstances but he articulated a much more complex and yet very powerful position against specifically going to war in Iraq. I called my wife who was in New York at that time and told her we had our rally and that this young State Senator had come and given this incredible speech. I went on about it at some length and she said 'Who’s that guy you're talking about?' and I said 'We’re going to hear a lot from this guy.'
Bob was awed by Barack's courage and potential in 2002, and he was deeply impressed by Barack's maturity, depth, and leadership in the speech he gave five years later.
The very perceptive and incisive position that he was taking five years ago has evolved into a much more elaborate and expansive foreign policy vision. His speech wasn't just about the iraq war, it was much more than that. That he’s evolved in this way is wonderful and gratifying to see.
Bob has been an supporter since October 2, 2002, and he continues to be actively engaged on the grassroots level five years later.
"That rally in 2002 sparked a kind of a renewal of grassroots activity in this country," says Bob. "I’m optimistic that that same kind of grassroots energy in support of his campaign is going to get him elected."
In case you're wondering, yesterday Bob deliberately wore the same shirt that he wore in 2002. "I'm going to wear the same shirt to his victory party when he gets the nomination, too," he says.