Why I support Obama

I wrote this on another website a few weeks ago. I'd like to post it here as well.

My ideal leader is one who leads change in the system itself, rather than poking at the symptoms. My ideal leader can identify gaps in thinking and unused resources to go at a problem in a fundamentally different way. My ideal leader doesn't need to live his or her life just the way I would...he or she does need to hold the same fundamental values I do :
--empowering and motivating people (leading rather than managing)
--uniting people (leading with a shared vision)
--listening to people (feedback is critical!)
--constantly learning ("if you do what you always did, you're gonna get what you always got")
--attention to detail, or an ability to see gray (nuance must not be overlooked; "authority without wisdom is like an axe without a blade...fitter to bruise than to sharpen")
--pride through accountability (there is no pride in being babied, coddled, or let off the hook...we will need to work and sacrifice for what we want, and it will be so much sweeter when we get there)
--respect (for other's values, other's decisions, other's work, other's priorities...my way is just that--"my" way; other's see things differently...that's okay, and even GOOD)
--understanding motivation (being able to look past an action or a stereotype and relate to others through common threads of motivation)
--willingness and even dedication to identifying one's own flaws, or one's own contribution to an existing problem (this is how we move forward...we must look at ourselves first)

I believe Obama encompasses these fundamental values.