Barack Obama splashed onto the scene after only two years in the Senate. He filled stadiums across the country with adoring supporters that dwarfed the crowds that John McCain could draw. Republicans derided Obama as a “celebrity” and called him the “messiah.”
Obama hit some bumps along the way; his beloved preacher, Jeremiah Wright, dominated YouTube.com and Fox News with offensive sermons that led Obama to leave the church. The GOP tried tying Obama to a voter registration scandal involving a group called ACORN, without much success.
Eventually, even Republican, Secretary of State, General Colin Powell endorsed Obama.
Obama seemed unstoppable.