January 31, 2007
NEAT STRIPED PABULUM YOU CAN EAT WITH A SHOVEL:
The Secret of Obama's Appeal Stays a Secret (Andrew Ferguson, Jan. 31, 2007, Bloomberg)
Barack Obama's book ``The Audacity of Hope'' is well into its fourth month on the bestseller list, and even a professional sourpuss (not that I know any) can see why.``I am new enough on the national political scene,'' he writes in the book's prologue, ``to serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views.''
Never mind the mixed metaphor about striped people projecting on screens (a rare infelicity from such a graceful writer). The statement is the purest Obama, the kind of sentiment that people seldom get from a career politician: knowing, self- aware, candid, vivid in its expression and -- most amazing of all -- true.
``The Audacity of Hope,'' in fact, can best be understood as an extended effort on the part of the first-term Illinois senator to keep that screen as blank as possible.
He's been so successful that already some of his would-be supporters are expressing frustration at their inability to pin Obama down on their favorite causes.
Posted by Orrin Judd at January 31, 2007 11:55 AM
Baraka Hussein Obama has a record as a gun-grabbing baby-killer from way back. If he runs, he can't hide.
What he has going for him is the soft bigotry of lowered expectation, whereby some are impressed not that the thing be done well, but that it be done at all.
Posted by: Lou Gots at January 31, 2007 12:26 PMWhat Obama has not included in his book is that his father was a wife-beater, bigot, and drunk. He should include it, of course since 3 of our last four Presidents have been the sons of drunks or themselves drunks.
Posted by: h-man at January 31, 2007 1:03 PMNo Tom C, I don't have to fret over decisions like that. I vote for whoever the Republicans are running.
Posted by: h-man at January 31, 2007 6:08 PMFrom what I understand, he's a clean sort of guy.
Posted by: AllenS at January 31, 2007 6:10 PMClean? I'm sure the $90K in William Jefferson's freezer was in nice, crisp, clean hundreds.
And Al Sharpton always has a new suit on when he goes on O'Reilly.
And Jesse showers every day like the rest of us, no?
But I'm drawing the line at at Cynthia McKinney. She's just downright dirty.
Posted by: ratbert at January 31, 2007 9:48 PMThe Manchurian Candidate.
Posted by: Bartman at February 1, 2007 9:57 AMEven if we set aside that very little is less clean that the Kindermord, Effendi Obama has a record of unfortunate associations going back to hsi Illinoius statehouse days'
http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/node/1557