[[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Obama, on the campaign trail, stands with folded hands while [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] honor the flag by placing their hands over their heart during the [[National Anthem]].]]
In defeating [[Hillary Clinton]] for the Democratic nomination, Obama demonstrated charismatic oratory, strong grass-roots organization, record-setting fund raising, and a strong appeal to African Americans, younger voters, and upscale voters. However he was weak among Catholics, women, downscale voters, rural voters and in Appalachia. As the primary season ended half the Clinton voters said they might not vote for Obama in November, pointing to a major weakness. Nevertheless Obama became a world-wide celebrity, packing large stadiums with adoring fans chanting his mantra, "Yes We Can!". His campaign against [[John McCain]], however, has largely consisted of attacking President George W. Bush, insisting that McCain and Bush overlap by 90%. However by rejecting Clinton as his running mate and selecting the undramatic [[Joe Biden]], Obama created an opening for the GOP. McCain rushed in by naming [[Sarah Palin]], thereby closing the enthusiasm gap, and rallying the conservative base. The Democrats who attacked Palin for inexperience were spotlighting Obama's main weakness against McCain, hurting their own candidate. Obama led McCain in the polls by 6-8 point early in the summer, then saw his lead fade to 2 points. After the two national conventions, McCain shot ahead, leading Democrats to fear that their candidate is not a fighter and will retrace the failures of Democratic losers presidential candidates in 2000 and 2004.<ref> The latest poll results are summarized at [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html Real Clear Politics]</ref>
==Early life and education==