Hope and promise counts for nothing. Look at his words and actions and see if he delivers. The problem is that no one ever asks the right questions of those in power. Instead we focus on trivia and daily events. There's no "big picture" analysis.

In absence of this, all we have is hope and promise. And that definitely isn't a solid foundation to build your house on.

Of course he is. Promising is what politicians do for a living.

I don't even know what that means.

It is a tepid way of saying that it is a leap of faith and hope to vote for him. He seems bright. Hopefully he will surround himself with bright people and be open to criticism, and not rely on cronies and yes-men when important decisions are to be made.

He says "I will end the war in Iraq". I say "it sounds promising". Let's see. I am still cautiously optimistic, but I may be wrong.

Sounding promising without saying anything is not evidence of competence.  Or honesty.

"Sounds promising" seems more like a description of a rock band with a decent but not quite there yet kind of potential after their first album, or a rookie who had a good season in baseball or basketball or something, but who could go either way.. I'll vote for Obama, I'm frankly sick of interchangeable cookie cutter bluebloods...in this case, in RIA terms, sounds promising would be interpreted this way: Oburma Bin Laden done promissed the devil in a secrety pact to paint everybody with a permanenty paint that'll make parts of their body black, uther parts white, some Chi- a - nese, some 'Merican Indian,  and some Mexican and then he'll doneglue a yarmulke to their heads and top it all off with a red dot smack dab in the middle of their foreheads so's they'll be all avulcanable when playin' paintball and shit, plus everyone will have to waer a Nascar sucks t-shirt and a gay flag sticker on their pickups, and all the grizz will be burnded on top of a mountain... that's the promiss, the Oburma Bin Laden garawnty...

Hype for sale!