"But after a 17-minute star-making turn as a keynote speaker at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and a scant two years in the U.S. Senate, Barack Obama is now his party's presidential nominee."   CNN

OK - so he has done a lot more since those famous 17 minutes on stage, (whether you agree with him or not), but it does show how effective the power of capturing people's imaginations can be.