The presidential candidate I believed in in 2008 was Dennis Kucinich. (And I was also well impressed by Ron Paul's take on foreign policy, but not necessarily his views on some other things.)

At any rate, Kucinich was the only one I had full confidence in, and could consider supporting. The party machine and the mass media decided to shut him out of the later televised debates on a ridiculous technicality which was just an excuse. After that, he was basically under the radar for most American voters, so that was the end of that. He made the other Democratic candidates (including Obama) look like evasive hypocrites, which is exactly what I think they are.

Given the fact that it then came down to a choice between Obama and McCain, I would have supported Obama...as I had some hopes that he might really change things and be a progressive president. I had no such hopes regarding McCain.

Obama's performance in the election was impressive, he got far more funding than anyone else (interesting....), the economic meltdown was very helpful to him, and he got handily elected.

There was much in Obama's campaign rhetoric that worried me...specially his committment to the war in Afghanistan. The vagueness of his rhetoric also worried me. It felt good...but what did it really mean?

Now, after 3 years of Mr Obama, I am very disappointed in him and I think he has turned out to be pretty much like a third term of George Bush might have been....albeit he can talk way better than Bush could. The Republicans have little or nothing to offer as an alternative. I expect we are going to get 4 more years of Mr Obama after November 2012. 4 more years of disastrous and costly warfare in the Third World. 4 more years of reduction of civil liberties at home and abroad. 4 more years of corrupt pandering to the corporate Oligarchy.

And I still believe in Dennis Kucinich. But he'll never be elected president.