How did Obama's rise happen?

He was an attorney and a community organizer before he was sent to Springfield to become yet another do-nothing state senator whose main function was to pass legislation that would benefit friends like Tony Rezko.

While down there, someone planted the idea of a run at one of those major league jobs out in Washington.

Now things start happening fast. His main competition in the primary self-destructs when an ugly divorce becomes public information and Obama is nominated.

In what can only be called a huge coincidence, a very similar thing happens to his Republican opponent in the election, who is replaced by Mr. Alan Keyes who any coherent person with the ability to stand erect could beat.

Just like that Mr. Obama finds himself in a great big office in the nation's capitol.

Now it gets weird. Roughly four months into his first term as the junior senator from Illinois, he launches an exploratory committee to look into a run at the presidency.

I can only equate this to someone being hired to an entry level job at, say, IBM and by lunch time on the first day deciding to approach the board of directors regarding the job of CEO.

Whatever the reason for this completely irrational thinking was, he was off and running. Next thing you know, he is getting the coveted Oprah endorsement and the media is falling in love.

Now the print and TV media decides they want to be part of history and the fact that this guy has no experience whatsoever doesn't matter at all.

The media coverage is so over the top that even the former media darling Hillary Clinton is forced to concede, and low and behold, Obama finds himself the Democrat nominee for president.

You have to figure that he finds himself alone with his wife looking at each other asking "How did this happen? I was thinking about testing the water for a run maybe in 2012. What are we going to do if we win?"

Marc Thomsen

Elk Grove Village