Obama Republicans

I had coffee with a friend recently. She's a Republican. I asked what she thought about McCain and she made a face. I asked her about Hillary and she made a worse face. Then she asked me about Obama. And before I answered, she said, "Actually, I'm impressed with him. I like him."

It's funny - I had this experience a few weeks ago, way back before Super Tuesday, and now, with Tuesday's upcoming primaries in Texas and Ohio, it seems so prescient. I read that some Texas Republicans were planning to vote for Obama. First, it's an open primary, so they can. Some are voting for Obama. Some are voting to Stop Hillary, figuring that McCain's got the nomination, so they might as well use their vote to stop her.

It's interesting how these things work. Look at Arnold Schwartzenegger - who'd have thought he'd become Governor of one of the most important states in the US? He got the opportunity because of a special election prompted by the recall of Governor Gray Davis. If he'd been through the regular primary process, he probably wouldn't have made the party cut. Instead, California now has a unique sort of GOP Governor, one who is married to a Kennedy, was a former body builder, and seems to defy party affiliation. Go figure.

Maybe in voting for Obama, Texas Republicans will deliver something just as intriguing.