Lots of people have been asking that today - on the news, on the web, and via e-mails. lucky for me a good friend Jon Resh responded to one of those e-mails and laid out all the details. He says:

Funny you should ask.

When I can, I've been volunteering for Obama's campaign -- and I just got back from a big rally of supporters watching that speech.

Here's the scoop:

I first saw Barack Obama three years ago when he was a junior state senator in Illinois. He was on a talk show about local issues.

Purely by his demeanor and intelligence, I thought: this guy is totally brilliant. I'd follow this guy into the trenches.

I learned more about him. He had a sorta crazy childhood, complete with absent dad and a stint with drug abuse (including cocaine -- which the Repubs are of course trying to use against him), all of which he openly and honestly admits.

He got beyond it, and his subsequent educational credentials are impeccable: undergrad at Columbia University, then Harvard Law School magna cum laude. (he was the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review, actually)

Then, with every law office in the nation open to him for a fat paying job, where does he go? To the worst part of Chicago, to practice civil rights law for poor people. (Recently he also started teaching law at University of Chicago.)

Then, last year, when Bush was preparing to go into Iraq, Obama was the only local politician to speak at protest rallies against the war -- and he did so with extreme eloquence (which was very much needed at said rallies).

Also last year, he announced his intention to run for the U.S. Senate seat. It was a crowded field. Local Democrats in this state, operating under the fabled old Daley machine, were backing a union puppet, but Obama swept the primaries totally unexpectedly (at least to the pundits). I emailed everyone I knew in town to vote for him.

About five months ago, I started volunteering for the Obama campaign, along with Melissa (who's now even more active than me). Our duty has mainly been going around registering voters.

Since I'm doing my own business now, preparing for wedding stuff, and dealing with a million other projects and things, I don't have a lot of time to contribute to the cause. But I try to do what I can.

A few months back, his Republican challenger, Jack Ryan -- an impressive candidate for the GOP, also young and well-spoken -- had strongly resisted opening his personal divorce files. By court order they were eventually released to the public, where it was shown that Ryan tried to make his then-wife go to sex clubs in Paris, NYC and New Orleans, more or less against her will.

Republicans went crazy all over the state, as Ryan wasn't the wholesome candidate they were promised. He was forced out of the race by the GOP. Here's the story when it broke.

The kicker: with Ryan gone, Republicans still haven't found an opponent to run against him (even Mike Ditka turned down the offer). Obama is currently running for the Senate seat alone.

This, of course, makes all of us who support Obama happy. But not having a choice in an election is not good for the populace, nor for democracy in general.

Obama has recognized this and said so himself. And he never once spoke badly of Jack Ryan during the whole scandal, nor has gloated in the wake of it. The man truly seems to be a class act, and his integrity is lauded by both sides.

In any case: I believe in this guy. In fact, in my lifetime I've never truly believed in any politician but him. Just watching Obama speak makes you want to be a better human being.

So, as mentioned, tonight Mel and I were at Obama temporary headquarters with about 1,000 other people watching his DNC speech. It was the diverse crowd you'd expect: every race and demographic represented, from old black church ladies to Latino construction foremen to Critical Mass bike punks, among many others.

Everybody was going nuts; it was a madhouse. I cannot say objectively if his speech was good or bad, but from my standpoint in that devoted crowd, it was truly awesome and even moving.

Frankly, I feel lucky to be a part of this: a rare moment where my cause is not the underdog cause, where the good guy is actually winning. I feel fortunate to be among Obama's constituency, and to be working with his campaign, even in a very minor capacity.

And while Obama will undoubtedly falter in the years to come to some degree -- everybody does! -- I'd be hard-pressed to think of anybody else who has more potential.

There are a lot of great stories attached to Obama and his ascendancy. Here are some of them, from a New Yorker article.

My personal favorite is when our local House rep met with Bush, and she was wearing an Obama button. Thinking the button said "OSAMA," he nearly freaked out (as we all can imagine Bush doing, seeing that language isn't much of a priority for him).

When the rep explained to him who he was, Bush said: "I've never heard of him." The rep replied: "You will."

As for your original question -- "What's the catch?" -- well... I'm still trying to find one myself.

I guess maybe one downside is he's so entrenched in the Democratic Party, which for many is a bad thing. And I'm sure you can come up with disagreements on his stance on various issues. I myself wish he was a little more vocal about the legalization of gay marriage, for instance.

But he seems to be a damn decent guy with a smart and rational ideological backing and good thought processes. And he seems to be -- even Republicans admit this -- a unique talent who, judging from his record and public statements, is as honest and respectful as they come. Maybe you can find a catch:

obamaforillinois.com

Okay, sorry this is such a long note, but there you go.

Jon