Dear Mr. Obama,

I tried to deny my initial attraction to you. I said to myself: He’s not right for me. He isn’t my type. But the more I heard you speak, the more I believed.

Oh, you have your critics. They say you’re not well-equipped for the job; some have even called you inexperienced. Those nay-sayers must have not gotten the chance to gaze into your chestnut-brown eyes. If they had, they would see the truth; they would see the drive and determination and most of all, they would see just how handsome you really are.

You are what is right for America. More importantly, you are what’s right for me. That Clinton, Bill-what’s-his-name, thought he had swagger? He doesn’t hold a candle to you. Your swagger, Mr. Obama, is unsurpassed.

Only a man of your caliber can point us in the right direction. Such was proven with your recent speech in Philadelphia. Making politics a spectacle is what is leading us away from the issues at hand. For the people and possible candidates who want to turn this year’s election into an issue about race, let me be the first to say: You are not running for president of black America. In saying this, no matter how many women may swoon, your bronzed, caramel skin should not be a factor.

To say that race isn’t pertinent to this year’s election would be foolish. I’m not living under a rock; anyone with a pair of eyes can see that you are the black candidate. Buy why can’t you just be a candidate? Let’s not focus on your race, ties to your former reverend, Jeremiah Wright, or so-called “lack of experience.” Let us instead focus on your political background and stance. Mr. Obama, I believe you have America’s best interests in mind. You are not scared to tackle the tough issues. You approach the negative comments thrown at you head-on. And did I mention that you sure can fill out a suit?

Mr. (future) President, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you are trying to seduce me, er?America. Your overall optimism and debonair charm is something that our current president couldn’t capture if he tried. Your wife, Michelle, had better watch out because I am checking for her man. If she slips up, please believe that there is a 24-year-old woman in California who is waiting to take her place. I’m too young, you say? That’s what you think. With your sense and sensibility and my humor and charisma, we could be the Bonnie and Clyde of politics. I got your back, baby.

Our current president is too busy making a fool out of America. He is too busy making a mockery of what our former and current immigrants have built this country on.

Lord knows you aren’t perfect, Mr. Obama. Even I have critiqued you in previous months but America can do a lot worse. Hell, we’re doing a lot worse with our current president. Gas prices are at an all-time high, unemployment rates are at an all-time high and health care is a joke.

I’m not sad to see George W. Bush go. I am, however, sad to see his successor having to clean up the mess he’s leaving behind. But who better to clean it up than you?

Mr. Obama, you represent hope – hope for a better future. So many people are counting on you. I would be lying if I were to say I wasn’t hoping that you’d move in and paint the White House black. I do want you to get in there and bring about a change. Clean up the stench that President Bush has left.

I look forward to the day when I can turn on the television and see a black man running the country; so please try your best, Mr. Obama. We’re counting on you.

Love,

Oneika Richardson

Oneika Richardson can be reached at [email protected]