In 1992 I was living in New York City when the Rodney King verdict and aftermath of riots gave my employer reason to dismiss staff early. The unspoken message: find safe haven, preferably out of dodge.

New York could blow any minute. Unrest was claiming lives and $1 billion in damages from South Central to Las Vegas and Atlanta. Even Seattle.

Yet New Yorkers remained peaceful. Why? Because of New York's sociology, suggested a terrific New York Times piece. Crowded streets, mass transit mashed urbanites of all ages, ethnicities, abilities, etc., sowing subliminal respect and compassion for our differences. Viscerally I knew this to be true.

Experiencing an Obama rally in May 2007, was like running into a once precious, forgotten friend.

Not since moving from NYC in 1996 had I surged with hope, jostled by such a mixed ballroom crowd. What Obama said -- which was encouraging, too -- was secondary to whom turned out.

Maybe that elusive, almost fictitious "unified America" that seems only to exist in political rhetoric, is possible.

Maybe Obama's greatest raison d'etre is that, if elected, we will all simply show up and stand side by side.

Obama is the subway car on which we can cram. Black, white, red and blue.