Fourth of July is the day that marks the American independence. And more than two centuries later, the day will perhaps truly represent a liberation of sorts.

The two front-runners for the Democratic hot seat have written new chapters in history of feminism and racism in the country. The irony is that 'alone' they stood on their podiums, and 'together' they won the two most controversial debates of mankind and womankind...(now that you'd perhaps not counter the usage). The only other being to have defied the stereotypes is Oprah. Another 'O'.

May be it will usher in the fad of Afro-Americans going in for O-ish names for their newly-borns - Olivia, Owen, Oriana, Orlando, OSAMA...

The "Big O" of American politics in particular has me bewildered. He shipped off the American bias of the white skin out into the Atlantic and embarked on a new phenomenon of 'black is in'. Out to hypnotize a 301 million Americans, this pied piper may be short of 25 years of existence - or experience as the Republicans would like to believe - but what he's certainly not short of, is a fan following... yours truly being just one of the 'South Asians For Obama'. Not the kind of fan who promises to raise $10 million for Obama (Read Apne One Dollar Curry fame Vikram Chatwal de daddy Sant Singh Chatwal), but just the kind of fan who admires what the man has done... truly, deeply, madly.

I am no poll pundit, so any attempt to indicate 'who' this chunk of 2.5 million Indian Americans are inclined to vote for will be to say the least 'futile'. But what I can confidently indicate is that Big O is sure going out of his way to woo the Bharatiya junta there. Be it carrying the 'Monkey God' a.k.a Hanuman as a lucky charm, picking an Indian-American as the campaign senior spokesman, paying glowing tributes to Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw or even having his Asian-American half-sister Maya reach out to the Asian-American community that constitutes a sizeable 5 per cent of the vote bank, Big O is doing whatever it takes.

May be we are wrong in reading too much into his actions or may be our judgment is influenced by the way our Indian politicians behave ahead of the polls. But then, on second thoughts, this is politics...raajneeti and trust me baby, he ain't no black angel!

The Indian Americans have traditionally had a Democrat drift, sans the creamy layer that finds the Republican 'tax policies' rather delicious. Reliable estimates suggest the leanings are in the ratio of 70:30 between Democrats and Republicans. Add to that the idea of having a Black Prez at the White House, fulfilling the 'big American dream', and I'd bet most of the desis there would almost feel a sort of vindication in voting/seeing him to/in power.

At least I certainly would if I were to somehow land in that far away land. Isn't it a sort of divine justice that after all these years -- years that we spent reading Alex Haley's Roots or learning about the struggles for black liberation by the likes of Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King or even watching films in which the goras addressed Indians as Pakis -- finally, the country has chosen a candidate beyond colour. At least by the looks of it, for the first time, they have embraced - in practice not in mere words -- the multiculturalism that so much a part of the American milieu.

The air-waves and the virtual-paves are abuzz with Obama's Pro- and anti-India stands. A top foreign policy advisor of Obama says the Indo-US nuclear deal is almost "dead" going by the growing differences between the UPA and its allies. While that would undoubtedly be an 'anti-Indian interest' thing to say for our PM, but a common man sitting here in India doesn't really care and doesn't really vote in the forthcoming US elections.

The common Indian-Americans, I would assume wouldn't really care a damn for the nuke deal as long as their offices and homes are secure on the American soil.

He's apparently against the idea of outsourcing, but then, ask any Indian American and he'd agree that he's happier and safer without the occasional -- "Dude, your homies down there in Indiyeah .. them working in call centres are taking away all our jobs." Which means we have nothing concrete against Big O yet. As for his take on the Iraq War, the world and all those who care for what's happening there would only be too happy with him for ordering a pullback.

Bottom line, whatever the community thinks of him, the fact remains that the not more than 30 per cent of ethnic Indians have registered themselves as voters and consequently, voting turnout hasn't particularly been encouraging. But while Obama keeps his fingers crossed, back home in "Indiyeah", the fan club is only swelling. The last I heard was that priests of the Sankat Mochan Mandir at Jhandewalan in Delhi are conducting havans for Omaba's success! My only worry though is - what will Obama do with the monkey god in case he doesn't make it to the top job?

Disclaimer: By no stretch of imagination do I consider myself an expert on American politics nor do these ideas represent the view of Indians, Indian-Americans or American-Indians. It's just a purely personal view from across the X latitudes and Y longitudes which usually makes the visibility rather low.