APTITUDE TEST:

Obama's 'present' votes become issue: Clinton camp says they indicate he's not a leader (RAYMOND HERNANDEZ and CHRISTOPHER DREW, 12/19/07, New York Times)

In 1999, Barack Obama was faced with a difficult vote in the Illinois Legislature — to support a bill that would let some juveniles be tried as adults, a position that risked drawing fire from blacks, or to oppose it, possibly undermining his image as a tough-on-crime moderate.

In the end, Obama chose neither to vote for nor against the bill. He voted "present," effectively sidestepping the issue, an option he invoked nearly 130 times as a state senator.

This is entirely appropriate since his candidacy is based on just being there rather than doing anything.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 20, 2007 9:31 AM