Let's be blunt: Barack and Michelle Obama have long been, and will remain until Election Day, the targets of one of the great lie and smear campaigns in American political history.

Even Cindy McCain, for the second time in this campaign, became the first potential first lady in American political history to take low-blow cheap shots against the nominee of the other party.

Michelle happens to be a wonderful woman who has succeeded the old-fashioned way: She earned it. She studied hard, worked hard, was outstanding at every level of her life and rose through the excellence of her work and the quality of her character. Michelle Obama is the American Dream, and given the chance to make huge sums of money, she chose instead to make her community and our country better.

Now, with every lie, the Obama small donors - who will soon rise to 2 million in number - are empowered to fight back. The force of their small donations will overpower the lies of the Swift Boat right-wingers.

Now, with every smear, the Obama small donors are empowered to fight back. The force of their $20 donations will allow the truth to overpower the smear.

The small donors are the heroes of this campaign. Their $10 donations will be used to expand democracy by registering new voters. Their $20 donations will be used to expand democracy by involving more average Americans to get out the vote for change and to defend the integrity of the polling places.

Most important, if Obama is elected, their $30 donations, multiplied by millions, growing by the week, will take America back from the power of mega-interests, giving mega-money, buying mega-influence for special interests.

This, folks, is the best kind of reform, and the surest road to real change in a government that should belong to real people, not the oil-company friends of George Bush, Dick Cheney and John McCain.

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