There is no denying the fact that to succeed in politics, specially in such a media oriented country like US, the most necessary quality you should have is that of Oration/ speech apart from political contacts and ofcourse, money. Obama displays class, command and care in his speech. It almost looked like a showcase for Obama, during the Democratic convention. The junior senator is here to stay. If he steers his course straight (believe me, they will kill him in the media if he does anything wrong), he MIGHT be the first black (well semi black) President. At one time he was sharing almost similar lime light as congressman Bobby Jindal (rhode scholar, born in US) but now he is miles apart. I don't think he will run for 2008 election (Presidential) but he would be a strong candidate for 2012. One might sometimes think, him having afro-american features, might have something to do with his popularity. I'd say, that alone didn't do it, but certainly contributed.