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Name one other politician who could pull this off. Just one...

Obama, Ludacris talk about guiding kids

I know people say that the young adult vote doesn't matter, but in 2008 I wouldn't be so sure. Both '04 and '06 saw significant gains in this group, and although I can't find the link right now, if memory serves in both elections the 18-29 group saw the largest increase in levels of participation of any group in the electorate.

But that's not actually what I find most interesting about the article. Nor, for that matter, is the fact that this is yet more evidence that Barack is in fact running in 2008. What's most interesting to me is that this demonstrates yet again Obama's deep understanding of the importance of grassroots mobilization. His meeting, after all, was held to discuss community-based efforts aimed at "empowering the youth."

2008 is going to be decided at the grassroots. Obama knows that. And if you want a sneak peek into what his ground game is going to look like in '08, you need look no further than my home state of Massachusetts. Deval Patrick's phenomenal campaign was built by a small group of advisors, almost all of whom were on loan to him from... you guessed it... Senator Obama. It was a decentralized, people-powered, community-based campaign, one powered not by a small group of centrally located elites but by the citizens of the state themselves. It was a network, rather than a hierarchy, that powered Patrick's run from start to finish. And the best part? The people in power never saw it coming...

Yes yes, I know. The whole world sees Obama coming. But they are all so focused on the man that I don't think they can yet see what may - and I stress may - lie underneath. Obama's run will be powered by a network, not a hierarchy, and as the 21st century has so far shown, a network will win that battle every time.

To paraphrase Alinsky... they may have the money, but we have the people. And that, in the end, is all that matters.