I make no secret of my unwavering support of Barack Obama in his campaign for the presidency. I was living in Chicago when he became a senator, and I've been a fan of his since *that campaign. So there was no question to whom my care package would go. But what to include?

I recently saw Obama speak at the rally at the Xcel Center this past Tuesday (6/3/08) and while he was cool, calm, and collected, I could sense the maelstrom just beneath the veneer. I hunted around my apartment for things that I could send the senator from Illinois to bolster his spirits and, through that, his campaign.

I found the following items:

• A copy of the "Best of the Twin Cities 2008" City Pages to help him plan his next visit to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Maybe he'll eat pad thai at Chang Mai, sing karaoke at Grumpy's, or makeout with Michelle on Fillmore Avenue? (All winners this year, btw.)






• A packet of Crystal Light "On-the-Go" Immunity boost (cherry pomegranate flavor) to boost his immune system while he's jetting from place to place for appearances and speeches. It takes a toll on the body, Barack, and Crystal Light helps you watch that presidential figure.






• A "Champagne Supernova" bath bomb from LUSH.com to be saved and used on the night of November 4th. A lightly champagne-scented bath bomb to simultaneously celebrate and fizz away the tension created by watching the polls all night.






• A cookie from Dunn Bros. in Dinkytown because 1) it's local fare and 2) everyone needs a cookie sometimes.






• Three tablets of Zantac 150 maximum strength antacid because presidential campaigning can give a brother heartburn. And this man's got a lot of heart to burn, people. He needs maximum strength.

Everything will doubtlessly be thrown away by some staffer who's job it is to open the mail and summarily throw everything away that isn't some form of money. But I prefer to imagine Barack Obama up to his neck in celebratory bubbles, eating his first cookie as President of the United States of America and planning his next trip to the Twin Cities.

[[Voo]]