Gregor Robertson - Vancouver's Obama

When Robertson was in the legislature, where he served as an MLA and expected to be a star (but wasn't), he often seemed peacefully out of sync. I'd often see him watching debate with a vague smile on his face, as if he couldn't believe the pettiness of it all and was floating to a happier planet, no doubt thinking up a new, stress-busting smoothie for us all.

He was earnest. He never came out with the nasty, partisan clips to grab a headline. I liked him for that. But I often wondered whether he might lack the political IQ to survive on the political planet.

Yet as the months have passed, I've come to realize I need not fear. This is a true pol, a guy who wants power and will make the necessary political calculations to get it.