Posted on 08/22/2008 5:07:59 AM PDT by kellynla
Why is it a real race now, with John McCain rising in the polls and Barack Obama falling? There are many answers, but here I think is an essential one: The American people have begun paying attention.
It's hard for our political class to remember that Mr. Obama has been famous in America only since the winter of '08. America met him barely six months ago! The political class first interviewed him, or read the interview, in 2003 or '04, when he was a rising star. They know him. Everyone else is still absorbing.
This is what they see:
An attractive, intelligent man, interesting, but—he's hard to categorize. Is he Gen. Obama? No, no military background. Brilliant Businessman Obama? No, he never worked in business. Famous Name Obama? No, it's a new name, an unusual one. Longtime Southern Governor Obama? No. He's a community organizer (what's that?), then a lawyer (boo), then a state legislator (so what, so's my cousin), then U.S. senator (less than four years!).
There is no pre-existing category for him.
Add to that the wear and tear of Jeremiah Wright, secret Muslim rumors, media darling and, this week, abortion.
It took a toll, which led to a readjustment. His uniqueness, once his great power, is now his great problem.
And over there is Mr. McCain, and—well, we know him. He's POW/senator/prickly, irritating John McCain.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Carolyn
I believe James K. Polk was the only president to pledge to a one term presidency.
Too bad. He was one of our best presidents.
Peggy is a female John McCain. Watch your back!
Sen. McCain needs to say that, if successful, he promises to serve a maximum of 8 years in office. No more, no less. Better than Obama’s 10 year-pledge, isn’t it?
Mr. Obama's upcoming convention speech will be good. All Obama speeches are good. Not as interesting as he is—he is more compelling as a person than his words tend to be in text. But the speech will be good, and just in case it isn't good, people will still come away with an impression that it must have been, because the media is going to say it was, because they expect it to be, and what they expect is what they will see.
That made me chuckle.
Yeah, Peggy has a certain sense of weirdness about her.
Well its true, he delivered that “race” speech which was hardly anything fantastic or really even noteworthy in all honesty, other than it was delivered by a mulato running for the Presidency.. which made it noteworthy only because of who delivered it, not what it was said in it, and you would have thought it was “I have a dream” or the Kennedy Innauguration the way the MSM reacted to it.
The press and the democrats cannot continue to push mediocrity as greatness and think no one is going to notice.
To put it another way, with conception something begins. What do you think it is? A car? A 1948 Buick?
This one got me, its nice to see some intellectual honesty about this topic, even if its only in an editorial.
He, Polk from Tennessee, alllowed Mexico to be conqured by General Winfield Scott who in a combined arms campaign marched overland to the halls of Montezuma anf conqured Mexico City.
This was absolutely the moment of the 04 Republican convention... I expect no less from him in 08. I fail to understand why the press underestimates him so badly. Fauxbama's speech will be delivered nicely, and he will look good as he tends to when he's got a teleprompter in front of him, but McCain's speech is the one that will be remembered, mark my words.
I still think a one-term pledge could win it for him, because it would allow America to punt. It would make the 2008 choice seem less fateful. People don't mind the chance to defer a choice when they're not at all sure about the product. It would give bitter Democrats a chance to regroup, and it would give those who like Obama but consider him a little half-baked to vote against him guiltlessly while he becomes fully baked. (Imagine the Q&A when Sen. Obama announces his second presidential run in 2011: "Well, Brian, I think, looking back, there is something to be said for the idea that I will be a better president now than frankly I would have been four years ago.
The absolutely last thing in the world we want is for the Messiah to become "fully baked" and come at us then. This is our great opportunity to destroy a really dangerous Marxist while utterly disrupting the DemonRat party, and we should take it. Peggy's thought may start out almost fully baked, but they get distinctly less baked the farther they go.
Do you remember the names of two middle ranked officers(who gained fame years later on the battlefield) in Scott’s army as it battled its way from Vera Cruz to Mexico City?
What? I ask you to produce one thing she's written that gives you that idea.
I certainly hope you're right. But one thing I know: McCain doesn't lack the backbone to say what he thinks.
I didn’t say anything about McCain’s speech making abilities.
He has my vote pretty much whatever happens, period.
We’re fools if we don’t watch our backs, though.
Here is an early example. But you can Google Peggy Noonan on Obama and get a list.
www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110009388
Robert E. Lee and W.T. Sherman?
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