If people said in 2004 that a 45-year-old black man would lead the field of presidential contenders come next election, anyone with an ounce of common sense and political knowledge would have called them crazy.

But that prediction seems to have come true. When Illinois Democrat Barack Obama stole the show at the Democratic National Convention that year, he showed us why he would be successful - because he is so good at telling a story.

Politicians long have recognized the power of narrative. For example, autobiographies have become a staple of any serious presidential campaign.

George Bush told us about "A Charge to Keep" in 2000, while John Kerry touted "A Call to Service" in 2004, and John Edwards toured the nation on his "Two Americas" storyline, one he's repeated during his current bid for the White House.

Errol Morris especially knows the power of using a story to humanize a politician. His best known work is probably "The Fog of War," a political film narrated entirely by Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense during much of the Vietnam War. Vilified because of his ties to that conflict, McNamara had a lot to answer for.

While the story McNamara told of his life and career wasn't always satisfying, it did provide glimpses into his worldviews and the regrets he harbors about his younger years. Morris let the footage speak for itself, and it does so in a more truthful, compassionate and condemning manner than any alternative arrangement.

The same approach almost helped former vice president Al Gore. Before the 2000 election, music video and film director Spike Jonze was given the opportunity to film Gore as he lounged around his house in Carthage, Tennessee. Away from the campaign trail, Gore shed his Candidate-o-tron 5000 appearance and became much more approachable.

The video originally was planned to air at the Democratic National Convention, and Jonze maintains that it would have swung the election.

What separates Obama from Gore and others is that his charm is always on. He's been able to tell good stories since 1995, when he penned the memoir "Dreams of my Father."

His speeches have been uniformly excellent, and showcase both his positions and his reasoning behind them. In an age where public relations firms decide between "death tax" and "estate tax" or "liberal" and "progressive," Obama gives us stories instead of catch-phrases.

One of the more common criticisms against Obama is that he is all charisma and lacks the experience to run the White House.

That particular argument isn't entirely truthful, as Obama already has legislated on avian flu, genetic testing, opening up the budgetary process and non-proliferation, to name a few. But more importantly, that charisma earned through storytelling is exactly what we need for a president.

It's right for us to demand a level of competence from our politicians, and Obama already has cleared that bar. But we're in an age of political polarization, of people being locked into parties and refusing to consider anything from the other side. Political operatives have made careers out of "firing up the base" and continuing to cement our differences.

It might sound naive or silly, but a president who can convince voters to consider the other side would be a wonderful change from the way things are. Through his stories, Barack Obama has done that, and will continue to do so from the White House if we give him the chance.

Greg Brown is a junior in philosophy. Please send your comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.