The NYT's David Brooks is half-repelled, half-impressed by Obama's chutzpah.
As he points out, yesterday's decision is characteristic of a politician who comes across like a high-minded idealist but throws moves like the sharp-elbowed Chicago pols amongst whom he learnt his trade.
Republicans who think he's a naive, over-intellectual, Adlai Stevenson type should look out:
(Obama is) the only politician of our lifetime who is underestimated because he’s too intelligent.
Yes, the Obama-McCain contest is not going to be a repeat of the Eisenhower-Stevenson one, which was played out twice, in 1952 and 1956. Even though Stevenson had been Governor of Illinois and came from a prominent political family, he found himself powerless in the face of (ex-General) Ike's folksy charm and popularity, despite the ardent support he commanded in intellectual circles.
Posted by: Candadai Tirumalai | June 20, 2008 at 02:00 PM