Living in the Future

If, ten years ago, I'd read a science fiction story set in the year 2009, featuring, as President, a black man named Barack Hussein Obama, I'd have rolled my eyes, and gone, "Oh, yeah, right."

(Here's a This Modern World comic expressing a similar view.)

However, after his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, I had Obama pegged as the party's 2008 nominee... for vice president.  Beside whatever role race might play, I couldn't picture a freshman senator being nominated for president (never mind elected).  I thought even my vice presidential prediction was sort of putting this rising star on the political fast track.

Not that I'm at all upset that I turned out to be wrong.