I’ll just come out and say it: I’m for Obama. Why? For change. For inspirational leadership, instead of selecting yet another center-left apparatchik or center-right corporate tool. America needs a breath of fresh air, which neither McCain nor Clinton can provide.

Clinton’s supporters extol her “experience” and “electability” as the qualities which, they say, make her a superior candidate. Neither cut any ice with me. “Experience”? It just means she’s spent more time running with the herd of gelded Democrats who’ve helped get us into the mess we’re in now. A slightly less timorous wonk. Someone who’s been part of the problem. Dubya had a cabinet stuffed to the gills with experience, arguably one of the most experienced ever, and look where that got us.

And “Electability”? At best, the Clinton camp means that she’s the only candidate who’s tough and smart enough to withstand the slings and arrows that will be hurled by the GOP. At worst, they’re whispering that ain’t nobody gonna elect no negro to the Oval Office. Both reasons are bosh. Obama is smart enough to spar on the national stage, and no Democrat worth even a fraction of their salt is going to passively take it in the ass after witnessing what happened to Kerry vis à vis the Swift Boaters. As for the race angle, let’s be frank; probably 90% of the folks who would never vote for a black man would never vote for a Democrat, either. The number of rabid Clinton-haters is far greater—and more vocal—than the number of racists.

America does not need another “experienced leader”. America needs an inspiring leader. Neither McCain nor Clinton fit that bill by a long shot. Vote Obama.