I attended a rally for Moneygall man Barack Obama in Boston Common on Tuesday night. It was pretty huge, and the excitement was tangible. I like him. He talks well, if a little scattered. He’s not afraid to seem too naive or optimistic or liberal or inexperienced. He’s funny and sincere. I didn’t get to shake hands with him, but I got this close:

I love the way Americans respond to speeches. They mutter “damn right!” to themselves and roar “You tell ‘em!” whenever anyone says anything anti-Bush. There were actually some pro-Bush guys there, who were chanting something or other; they didn’t take Obama up on his offer to “come down and join the party” anyway. Oh, and there were freaky religious people at the gates who had banners saying “Turn from your idiots to Jesus before it’s too late!” I had no idea he was running …

He’s a smart man too, knows how to work a crowd. He opened by saying: “Hello Red Sox nation!” [riotious applause] “I am a White Sox fan.” [sympathetic groans] “But I’m a principled sports fan, even when my team is losing.” [more riotous applause]

Speaking of Red Sox … they are leading 1-0 in the World Series. The city is going insane. It says GO SOX in lights on the side of the Prudential Centre. Pretty much everyone is wearing Red Sox hats or t-shirts. Impossible not to get swept up in it.