6:00 AM, August 27th 2008

"On this day I become the first Black American presidential nominee of a major party. I am so tired of hearing that! I have to act like superman when at the core of it I am just trying to get through this all. Michelle understands, thank Heaven, and she is giving me space to rest and recharge. She is letting me sleep alone because she tells me my snoring is impossible these days.

My staff is doing a fantastic job of protecting me from overwork, but at the same time I feel like they are getting in the way, annoying some people in their desire to protect me and give me the space to think. I have to make amends to some folks I think that they have not given me enough time to talk to in the past few days. It will all work out, of course, but I am going to ruffle enough feathers to have someone angry with me most of the time anyway.

I could not believe the dream I had last night! Clear as I have ever dreamed, from the midst of my slumber, came this voice that I sort of recognized and then an image came before me. It was a man's face, not handsome, with a long nose, huge ears and sad tired eyes who said:

"It is my birthday, damn it, and I want to talk to you!"

It was then that I realized that it was the image and voice of Lyndon Johnson.

"Mr. President?" I asked.

"Not in a long time kid!" and his face relaxed into a smile that gave me odd comfort.

"I just want you to know," he continued, "that it is your job to undo what I did. I want you to take back the South! I want you to do that for me, it is my home and you can start to do it. My own people, my own party lost out since 1964 because I made them do the right thing and pass the 'Voting Rights Act.' It is time for the people, who were not born or just born like you at the time, to tell the old bigots to shove aside and make way for the Democratic Party."

"But how," I heard myself asking him, "my advisers tell me it is impossible."

"Go with your gut, tell the truth to people, remember to say thanks to those who are with you and to tell those fancy pants Republicans they don't get to own the whole country!"

"Mr. President," I responded, "things have changed so much since your time.

"Don't worry, Ann Richards keeps me informed, and now that I have eternity I can read all the papers and slow down to just one TV news program at a time. You can do it son and do it for me."

"Any advice about getting out of Iraq, Mr. President?"

"In a straight line with your head held high. Don't buy in to my biggest mistake as president. I listened to those lunatics in the CIA and "military intelligence" when I should have looked at the map of the world. Sixty thousand young men and women dead to prop up a crooked government, not that ours is particularly honest, but much worse than ours because some four eyed analyst repeats 'Domino Theory' over and again. We were stupid, we were scared, we had just had a face off with the Soviets and we were fighting their 'aggression' by creating our own. Not only should you never act out of fear, it is one of your biggest jobs to keep the American People from being afraid so that they can think."

I then woke up and realized that once this is over, it has only just begun for me.