It's good to have friends. And by friends, I don't just mean people who hang with the same crowd, but the ones who know you, who know what you care about and what you stand for. And who like you and support you for it. People who, when you spend the better part of an evening to get them tickets to the hottest show in town, will return the favor by making sure you have great seats, good company, and a husband who will video tape the parts you missed because, after all, they did give you really bad directions.

Sometimes friends, because they do know you and what you stand for, will even endorse you and spend their time traveling on a bus with you if you decide to run for President of the United States. Senator Bob Casey's endorsement of Barack Obama yesterday was big, but the fact that he spoke to the people of Pittsburgh twice yesterday about why he's supporting him was huge, and made me really glad I worked so hard in '06 to help get him elected to office. I don't always agree with Sen. Casey, but it's good to know that on some of the really important things, we see eye-to-eye.

So, long story short, I did make it to the Obama Greensburg event yesterday, albeit late. My friend's husband did catch some really good video of Senator Obama and gave me the tape to share with you all. And I did manage a couple decent pictures. It was a small venue, Hempfield High School gym, in a mostly white, working class town about a half hour east of Pittsburgh, that, if the waiting list for tickets was any indicator, Senator Obama could have filled many times over. But it was nice to see him in a fairly intimate setting rather than the typical large arena.

The setting was relaxed, as was the Senator, and the folks in Greensburg were ready to hear his message, laugh at his jokes, and ask some really great questions. He spoke of the people he met on the campaign trail in the last 15 months, during which, Obama joked, babies were born and learned to walk and talk. He told stories of working people who are barely able to make ends meet and unable to get the healthcare they need. He spoke about veterans who have fought bravely in a war that should never have been waged, an economy that is sliding backward, and and he told the crowd why he is the right person to help us change the course of our country.