Whatever, John Edwards. Barack Obama is so the Democratic hottie of the moment. Oprah loves him. Clinton fears him. Everywhere he goes, he's mobbed. Expect no less when he shows up in Seattle for this "kickoff" event, during which he's sure to talk about the "audacity of hope," flash his megawatt smile, and mention that local connection of his—Stanley Ann Dunham, his feisty atheist mother, lived for a time on Mercer Island. (WaMu Theater, 800 Occidental Ave S, www.barackobama.com. Doors at 5:30 pm, $25—$100.)