(Updated with Pictures) Youthful Crowd Greets Obama on Rainy Seattle Day

18,000 people crowded into the Key Arena on February 8, 2008, to see Barack Obama, the day before the Washington caucuses. About 3000 more had to be turned away, due to lack of space. Much of the audience was in their twenties or teens. Designer clothes, ipods, iphones, cell phones of every sort, continuous text messaging... Lots of students must have been allowed to skip school to see Barack.

The surprise of the day was an appearance by Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire, who endorsed and introduced Obama. I suspected that she might, and that she would use this opportunity – and it worked very well; the crowd went wild.

The doors opened at 11:00am, but Obama didn’t come on stage until about 1:00pm, which tested the endurance of such a large group. But once he appeared, he was very well received. The crowed yelled, applauded, laughed, and booed on cue, as Obama described his plan, cracked jokes, and took some swipes at the GOP.

Since the sound system was simply atrocious, I had a hard time catching all that he said. But what I heard was impressive. From education, to the environment, to ending the Iraq War, to countering the mortgage crisis, to reforming the tax system, he said all the right things, and he said them with a conviction that I could believe. He spoke confidently, with a deep sense of authenticity.

He also took head on what I would consider the most serious challenge to his candidacy, his relative lack of experience. He said that some people would want him to spend twenty more years in Congress before a run, so that he would become just like the establishment. But he doesn’t want to become a part of the establishment. He wants to be a voice for change. Seeing him today, I am confident that he truly is a voice for real change.

But the most poignant moment was unscripted. He was delivering a great line (We must not negotiate out of fear, but we must not fear to negotiate), when he bent down to pick up a bottle of water, and tossed it to some people standing close to the stage. Apparently, someone had fainted. He spoke a few more lines, but then he stopped, and took some time to make sure that the lady in question was being attended to. He pointed out a nearby chair, and asked people to take her there. He must have taken at least a minute, maybe more, from his speech to make sure that all was well.

Cynics might say that Obama was just milking the situation, or that he even had the whole thing staged. But I didn’t think so. He seemed to genuinely care. Someone, I don’t see Bush stopping to make sure that an unknown member of the audience got cared for. The incident symbolized for me Obama’s care for all of us. Early in the evening, someone shouted out "We love you Obama!" He replied, "I love you right back!" I might be sounding sappy here, but I believe he does.

I will be proud to caucus for Obama on February 9 in Washington State. I will be proud to vote for him in November in the general election. I will be proud to watch his inauguration on January 20, 2009.