Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Funny. And smart,

in spite of the demerit for his Kerry diss. Ezra Klein on the current tide of Obamamania 2008:
    Waiting for Barack

    A leader leads. Before Democrats move to draft Barack Obama as their '08 candidate, they might wait to see if he can.

    As much as political junkies love the presidential horse race, their deepest affection is reserved for fantasy campaigns. Your average Democratic poll watcher or precinct walker will happily expound on his or her thoughts about the 2008 crop of candidates, but their eyes will really light up when they slip the surly bonds of reality and begin drafting titans and bigfoots, movie stars and war heroes. Oprah! Tom Hanks! Al Gore! A constitutionally incapable Bill Clinton! A resurrected FDR! A progressive shape-shifter from the Alpha Centauri quadrant!

    ...There are, to be sure, ways Obama could prove his mettle, not to mention his priorities. He could, say, make universal healthcare coverage his public obsession or demand an end to the war in Iraq. He could fight for full public financing of all campaigns, or seek a national living wage.

    But until then, if Obama gleams, Democrats have no way of knowing if it's because he's truly an action hero or because he's refused to step out of his packaging. And until that question is answered, the hardened fighters they know are preferable to the attractive cipher they don't.

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