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Who is this Obama Character?

Yeah, me either.

The headline in The Washington Post was intriguing: “Obama’s Ideology Proving Difficult to Pinpoint.” The article turned out to be a charitable discussion of whether the Democratic nominee is moving away from leftist positions he took during the primaries and toward the political center for the general election.

Of course he is. Enough to produce, as someone put it, whiplash. So let’s give the topic a headline that directly addresses the doubts: Just who is Barack Obama?

Is he the inspirational juggernaut of the early primaries, the man who promised “change we can believe in” and a new era in American politics? Or is he one more politician whose actions often contradict his words?

Put another way, what does he believe in?

Damned if I know.

Posted by Owen at 2014 hrs
Politics + Politics - General

1. I’d be comfortable - indeed happy if Obama were genuinely centrist and non-ideological, and instead advocated and exuded competence, since ideology and competence are practically mutually exclusive.

   But I haven’t seen much evidence of that either.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 12, 2008 at 2202 hrs
   
   
   

2. Based on experience, one has to conclude that the Real O-and-Savior is the early version.

   Posted by dad29 on July 13, 2008 at 0720 hrs
   
   
   

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