I recently moved to DC to begin an  internship with NARAL Pro-Choice America, where it's all hands on deck to get Obama elected.  I live on Capitol Hill.  Last night there was a seemingly endless array of cop cars parked on every street surrounding the Capitol Building as the People Who (are supposed to) Represent us duked it out. The tension is absolutely palpable around here. Republicans prattle into cell phones about how the House is making the bail out impossible; protesters preach outside on the lawn waving signs that say "No bail outs for billionaires". Strangers wearing Obama gear give each other sly thumbs up. People wearing no political garb at all stop me in the street to tell me how my Obama pin makes them angry. Last night a bouncer told me "I'm pro-life and I'm voting for McCain. What are you gonna do about it?"  My friends and I are going to beat you, that's what.  But first I'm going to pay you $5 to get into your lousey bar.

Everyone watched the debate last night. Unable to bear the thought of watching it with the plethora of Republicans that I live with, I went to Adams Morgan to wach with a group of friends who are all international students and therefore completely pro-Obama (doesn't that say something?). It really puts things in perspective: I was in a room of maybe 15 people, all from entirely different countries, and all of them care about our presidential race.

Tonight I sat through a painful dinner conversation as the Republicans that I live with spoke their warped view of the world. Some of it was interesting - they admitted being disgusted with Bush for lying about why we are in Iraq, though they do believe we need to be there. Some of it was boring - Obama's foreign policy sucks, from the mouths of people willing to vote for Sarah Palin. But some of it...some of it is just down right mind blowing.

"I think a terrorist attack would be really good for John McCain's campaign," said one of his supporters tonight. I know, I know - McCain's adviser said it first . But hearing from the mouth of someone I share a dinner table with is different. It's not some ambiguous politico talking head anymore. It's a person, someone that I live with and otherwise like. But I sat there, reeling.  HOW can you support him when that's the line, the truth? How can you know that having a couple thousand people die will help your candidate and not realize that you are supporting the bad guys? How can you sleep at night? What is it going to take, voters of the once-United States? What is it going to take?

Working at NARAL Pro-Choice America does make me feel better and even, as Obama would have it, hopeful. My job is to help NARAL members campaign for Obama, by giving them materials, resources and different ways to get involved with our Pro-Obama, Pro-Choice campaign. I talk to people every day that have gotten so fed up with our hands-off political process that they feel compelled to get involved personally and bring about (another great Obama word) change. They're sick and tired of living in fear of Bush: the Second Coming, and they are starting to demand action from their friends, classmates and neighbors. Every time I speak with a volunteer, I feel like we're going to win. Maybe we've all been down so long it just looks like up to me.

Or maybe by one vote, one phone call, one person at a time, we're actually going to win.

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