To know me is to know that I adore America. I buy the American Dream wholesale - it is a land of startling beauty, energy, optimism and promise. As a political junkie as well as an Americanophile, it is natural that I take a keen interest in US elections.
But I do so conscious of the fact that I am not an American citizen. Of course we all have a right to our opinions, and of course what happens across the pond affects us considerably. Nevertheless, I understand why Americans get prickly when they see foreigners telling them how they should vote. It would behove us to show a bit more humility.
Four years ago I decided to take the moral high ground. I had strong views about American politics, and I was keen to express them. It seemed to me that the least I could do was put in some hard graft, rather than just hold forth from an armchair. So I travelled to South Carolina and worked unpaid for three months on the successful US Senate campaign of Republican Jim DeMint.
Now don't get me wrong; it wasn't a hardship. I had a whale of a time. I made some great friends, and played a small part in helping an outstanding (very) conservative politician get to the Senate. I've written this prelude to emphasise that, for a Briton, I have pretty good Republican Party credentials. Which makes it all the more surprising that I won't be too sorry if Barack Obama wins the Presidency.
I've tried to get excited about Senator McCain and Governor Palin. I really have. And I most assuredly have qualms about Senator Obama - not least his protectionist policies and inexperience. But I can't quieten the voice in my head that's telling me that Obama is indeed The One.
I think I've worked out why this is happening to me. It's because they're competing to be America's Head of State. If America had a prime minister, McCain would be the man. But the President has to personify the nation. Despite the Republican's status as a genuine war hero, I think that Obama might be best placed to do that.
(The devil in me loves the thought of lefties being horrified at the election of Sarah Palin. Much of the criticism of her is very unfair. A friend sent me a pin badge with her visage on it, and it's a proud possession. But she is yet to convince me that she has the intellectual capacity to make a good Vice President - or be a success in the top job.)
Obama is whip-smart. He is a superb speaker, and there is substance behind the style. He is dynamic and (seems) decent. He has encouraged a load of people to take an interest in electoral politics for the first time, which bodes well for his ability to unite the nation. He is not a terrorist or a communist or a fifth columnist. Finally, it would be disingenuous of me to brush over the fact that he's black.
To know me is also to know that I detest positive discrimination. No-one should vote for Obama just because he's black, and millions of non-racists will vote against Obama for all sorts of reasons (he's not even done a full-term in the Senate, for crying out loud). But it is not insipid, stupid or left wing to say that there would be some major benefits for a post-Apartheid country - with a very large black population - to elect a black President.
It could shatter some myths, erase some bigotry, and serve as an inspiration to black and non-black Americans alike. That's not nothing.
Yes indeed the first black President should also be the best person for the job, just as the first female President should be. And (for what it's worth, which is nothing) I'm still not ready to endorse Obama. I hope (forlornly) that the Republicans will win seats in Congress and the keys to Governors' mansions. But I haven't managed to muster the motivation to fly across the Atlantic and hand out McCain-Palin leaflets.
