The answer, that is, to the question of just How is Barack doing It?

It almost cannot be understated: Barack Obama's steady, astounding, almost inexplicable rise to the top to not only become the presumptive Democratic nominee but also to overtake one of the strongest, smartest, most well-funded, tenacious rival candidates in American history — and also to out-poll his deeply connected Republican opponent — is both remarkable and historic on a number of fronts.

But the thing is, no matter how you crunch the data and try to logically analyze all the components that made Obamapalooza happen, there appears to be something just beyond the logic, just outside the normal machinery, that makes you shake your head in amazement, and perhaps remember this forever.

I've got to admit that Barack was my #2 guy.  I still, to this day, wish John Edwards was riding this particular wave to D.C. this November, but...he isn't.

Once John dropped out, I felt myself drift over to Barack.  It felt natural enough.

My main problem with Hillary was her last name.  There was a fatigue settling in me from the same damn names showing up on my ballot every four years.  Had she gone on to the nomination I would have just as easily voted for her, but there's that something Mark is talking about happening in this election cycle.

At the end of the column, as mentions the nightmare that hides in the back of the nation's head, he gets really close to the answer but almost seems afraid to say it:

Then again, maybe, in a morose way, this is how we know transformative change is arriving, perhaps quicker than expected, but arriving nonetheless. We're already deeply scared of losing it. Really, how long's it been since we've felt anything like that?

Approximately 48 years, according to some people I've spoken with who were around at the time.