Obama: Not so bad, after all

I just read David Mendell's biography of Obama. I still think that there is some merit to my Obama SOS post, but I think that Obama may have a few more sympathies for progressive positions than he is letting on.

The biography presents many positive aspects of Obama's character. While he is an idealist, he is also very pragmatic. He is a consensus builder. Just as Bill Clinton, he prefers a small victory to a glorious defeat. Unlike BC, he will not go for a bad deal just to feed his ego. He may not be proposing a single payer plan in his platform, but I doubt he would veto one if it crossed his desk.

Some of the Amazon reviewers have criticized the book as unfair. Personally, I think Obama comes off pretty good in the book. No one expects perfection from anybody, and nobody expects people who run for president to have an ego deficiency. Still, the book makes a very good case that Obama ended up in politics as a result of his desire to do good. An Obama presidency would likely see a great improvement in policies to help the poor.

Let's not forget the big mess that Bush has left his successor. He has alienated just about the whole world. The next president will have to repair these relationships, or see U.S. power, prestige, and wealth drop even more than they have under Bush. Who we elect will have a big impact on world opinion of this country.

If we choose to send Barack Obama to restore our relationships, other countries will be receptive to his message.

If we send John McCain....?