Naturally skeptical of politicians, I first heard Barack Obama speak in May at a Conway town meeting. I left feeling energized, excited, engaged and actually hopeful that maybe something good really was possible in the wild and woolly world of politics.

Plus, I have a great BS detector. I could tell this guy was the real deal.

He reminded me it really is possible for a person to run for office because he truly believes he can help make this world a better place.

He has shown his integrity time after time, consistently putting moral courage and conscience before polls and political gain. As an Illinois state senator running for U.S. Senate in 2002, Barack had the guts to speak out against the Iraq war back when almost nobody did. The then-popular Bush had the country whipped into such a fear-based frenzy, anyone who dared speak out against the war was labeled "unpatriotic."

Against all advice, and at his own political peril, Obama stepped up and spoke out for what he believed in.

That's not all that sets him apart. He has a proven record of transcending party lines to work with Republicans to solve problems. Before his years in the Senate, he served as a civil rights attorney, taught constitutional law, and worked in the trenches as a community organizer to help better the lives of the poor and disenfranchised.

Obama follows his conscience and does the right thing. I hope you'll join me in doing the same on Election Day.

HOPE ULLMAN

Wolfeboro