Fire it up! Ready to go!

We met two enthusiastic people who work for the Barack Obama movement: Ambassador Sharon P. Wilkinson (she used to work as a US ambassador to Mosambique) and Michelle Camp. For starters, we warmed up by repeating Obama’s motto: “Fire it up! Ready to go!” When we were fired up enough and ready to go, they let us peek behind the curtains of the presidential campaign. Sh.Wilkinson: “How do you start? Roll up your sleeves and start to work. And, believe me, it’s not sexy.” Once we established it was not sexy, we fired a few questions.

Q. If Hillary Clinton wins, will B.Obama agree to be her vice-president or foreign secretary?”

A. B.Obama himself said: “Number One in the primaries will not run for number two.”

Q. Why doesn’t Hispanic population support Obama?

A. Bill Clinton did a lot for the Latino population, and it will probably run in the family. So, they are loyal to the Clinton family, and why trade better for who knows what? According to Sh.Wilkinson, Senator Richardson, Hispanic himself, said: “If Obama wins, he’ll be the leader not for Latinos, African Americans or white community. Yes, B.Clinton did a lot, but it’s time to move on.”

Q. Which candidate is more Russia-friendly?

A. People in America do not watch closely US-Russia relationship, so it’s hard to say. H.Clinton will probably follow the line of B.Clinton. On the other hand, B.Obama is more focused on foreign affairs. (Opinion of other Americans we met: Putin rules with an iron glove, and Medvedev looks like a person ready to introduce a “thaw period”. Many Americans are afraid of a new cold war. A few expressed an opinion that Obama was more “pro-Russian”, but when asked why they could hardly give any evidence. In times of troubles interest to the Russian language increses, in times of peace decreases.)

Q. Why do people in Arab countries support Obama?

A. People there think it would mean real equality. They hope that Obama will be more understanding and supportive of African and Arab nations. (We met a few white Americans who campainged for Obama alongside immigrants from Arab countries.)

Q. If B.Obama wins, could a Monica Lewinski scandal occur?

A. According to M.Camp, Barack’s wife will just kill him!! He’s not a kind of person to play holier-than-thou game. They are just a good traditional family.

Q. Can JohnMcCaine win?

A. Yes, we cannot exclude it. Although he’s a Republican, he’s on the left side and can “reach across the isle”. But if it happens, it’ll be very frustrating for many Americans – and many people worldwide - who want a change, who want a non-white and/or non-male President. Also, he’s old and there are jokes about it.

Now, let me ask you this: who is more likely to become President of Russia in the foreseeable future – a woman or an African Russian?