Will Barack Obama be able to hold on to his lead over Hillary Clinton and then beat John McCain in November? Are there just too many stones left unturned and too many corners yet to turn for Obama to be the next President?

In February 2007, Barack Obama announced that he was running for President of the United States. At that time, most people had never heard of him outside of Illinois. Obama served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. His tried to make it to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, but lost. He was then elected to the U.S. Senate, taking office in January 2005. Since that time, his senate duties have taken a back seat to his campaign for President.

Obama was slightly noticed by Americans when he gave a speech during the 2004 Democratic National Convention. After he was elected as a U.S. Senator, it appears he wanted and craved more of the spotlight – he wanted to be the President of the United States.

After a few speeches leading up to and after his announcement for the highest office in the land, we soon found out Obama is a great orator. Obama mania started like a small wave lapping on the shore. Soon, it was a tidal wave sweeping across the country with 15 to 20 thousand people turning out to hear Barack say, “Yes we can.” His rock-star status brought young women to tears when he uttered those three words. His fundraising, drawing just a few dollars at a time, has turned into millions of supporters (and dollars) with campaign offices sprouting up across America like dandelions popping up after a cool spring rain in my yard. Obama is being worshiped like a God.

One by one the Democratic contenders for President fell by the wayside, until there was only one left, Hillary Clinton. The old Democratic guards and the Clintons never figured Obama could mount much of a threat because it was her Presidency – she earned it – she had positioned herself to make history (and erase the history of Monica). She was first in line to be the first woman elected President, but Obama missed that memo.

As he has received more attention, the questions have started mounting for Barack Obama to answer. Does Obama have the “teflon” to withstand the many unanswered questions and unknown issues until November?

Democrats must be holding their breath and thinking, “Is there something in his past that will kill his chance to become President?”

So far he’s withstood many issues. Here are a few:

We know through his own words that Obama used drugs as a young person when he wrote in his book, “Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance,” claiming he smoked pot, drank booze, and used a little “blow” on occasion, but not smack. Thank goodness there was no smack (Heroin) involved. He just used Cocaine! Also, it appears he actually did inhale, unlike Bill Clinton.

We’ve had Obama’s wife say, “for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country…” Yes Michelle, it must feel pretty good looking down from your throne at the rest of us non yuppies.

We’ve learned that the Obama family has been attending a church for about 20 years where the leader and Barack’s spiritual advisor, tells America, “God bless America… No!… God Damn America,” and our “government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color” or that our government’s past actions caused 9/11.

Of course, Obama whipped up a 45 minute speech to quell the disturbance with his spiritual advisor, condemning his words, but he failed to distance himself from the man who spewed the hatred.

Finally (as of this writing), we have Obama at a San Francisco fundraiser saying folks who live in economically depressed areas (small towns) are “bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

This last elitist remark may be the one that hurts him the most, but probably more in the general election than the primary. By the way, a friend of mine was so upset with those remarks that he went to the range and took some target practice. He feels if Obama is elected, he may lose his guns. Of course, before target practice, he attended church.

Since Montana is made up of small towns with lots of guns and God-fearing people, those comments should make just about every Montana Democrat vote for Clinton in the primary, including the super delegates, don’t you think?

So far since February 2007, we’ve seen just a glimpse of Barack Obama. He’s the frontrunner and nothing much has stuck to him, but one has to wonder what the future may hold. It’s what we don’t know about him that may pop up around the next corner. Will the Montana Democrats vote for the safer candidate in June, or take a chance on Obama. This time their votes may actually mean something, so they should try and get it right…for God and guns.