Rig--

Obama's middle name is Hussein.   This will only make a difference to those who wouldn't vote for him anyway--you perhaps? Just how dense do you think the electorate is? Nobody on the fence will be swayed by such trivia.

Independents, many of whom already lean toward Obama---and they will probably make the difference--will have unlimited opportunity to hear what he says--and are not likely to be influenced by schlockmeisters of the type you cite.

And your "ties to Islam in his past" smear will also only be cited by Limbaugh and other such sterling sources of fact. And the source will also be noted.

Difference between the Kerry and Obama situations is that Kerry--30 years later--still had to contend with the bitterness of those who felt we only lost Vietnam by leaving.

There is no comparable source of bitterness with Obama. And race also will not be the determining factor--even in the South.

Even sour cynics such as your good self will have to come to terms with the fact that Obama is a goodhearted man--who is also smart as a whip-- and who has managed to come to the fore at exactly the right time. He happens to be black. That is not a make-or-break factor.