The Perfect Stranger (Obama)

Barack Obama may have rock star status, but who is he really? Very little is known about him and his past aside from what he and his publicists have provided. Aside from Fox News, the mainstream media has done a poor job of vetting this candidate.

Barack Obama is an immensely talented man whose talents have been largely devoted to crafting, and chronicling, his own life. Not things. Not ideas. Not institutions. But himself.

Nothing wrong or even terribly odd about that, except that he is laying claim to the job of crafting the coming history of the United States. A leap of such audacity is odd. The air of unease at the Democratic convention this week was not just a result of the Clinton psychodrama. The deeper anxiety was that the party was nominating a man of many gifts but precious few accomplishments -- bearing even fewer witnesses.

When John Kerry was introduced at his convention four years ago, an honor guard of a dozen mates from his Vietnam days surrounded him on the podium attesting to his character and readiness to lead. Such personal testimonials are the norm. The roster of fellow soldiers or fellow senators who could from personal experience vouch for John McCain is rather long. At a less partisan date in the calendar, that roster might even include Democrats Russ Feingold and Edward Kennedy, with whom John McCain has worked to fashion important legislation.

Eerily missing at the Democratic convention this year were people of stature who were seriously involved at some point in Obama's life standing up to say: I know Barack Obama. I've been with Barack Obama. We've toiled/endured together. You can trust him. I do.

Hillary Clinton could have said something like that. She and Obama had, after all, engaged in a historic, utterly compelling contest for the nomination. During her convention speech, you kept waiting for her to offer just one line of testimony: I have come to know this man, to admire this man, to see his character, his courage, his wisdom, his judgment. Whatever. Anything.

Instead, nothing. She of course endorsed him. But the endorsement was entirely programmatic: We're all Democrats. He's a Democrat. He believes what you believe. So we must elect him -- I am currently unavailable -- to get Democratic things done. God bless America.

Clinton's withholding the "I've come to know this man" was vindictive and supremely self-serving -- but jarring, too, because you realize that if she didn't do it, no one else would. Not because of any inherent deficiency in Obama's character. But simply as a reflection of a young life with a biography remarkably thin by the standard of presidential candidates.

Who was there to speak about the real Barack Obama? His wife. She could tell you about Barack the father, the husband, the family man in a winning and perfectly sincere way. But that takes you only so far. It doesn't take you to the public man, the national leader.

Who is to testify to that? Hillary's husband on night three did aver that Obama is "ready to lead." However, he offered not a shred of evidence, let alone personal experience with Obama. And although he pulled it off charmingly, everyone knew that, having been suggesting precisely the opposite for months, he meant not a word of it.

Obama's vice presidential selection, Joe Biden, naturally advertised his patron's virtues, such as the fact that he had "reached across party lines to . . . keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists." But securing loose nukes is as bipartisan as motherhood and as uncontroversial as apple pie. The measure was so minimal that it passed by voice vote and received near zero media coverage.

Thought experiment. Assume John McCain had retired from politics. Would he have testified to Obama's political courage in reaching across the aisle to work with him on ethics reform, a collaboration Obama boasted about in the Saddleback debate? "In fact," reports the Annenberg Political Fact Check, "the two worked together for barely a week, after which McCain accused Obama of 'partisan posturing' " -- and launched a volcanic missive charging him with double-cross.

So where are the colleagues? The buddies? The political or spiritual soul mates? His most important spiritual adviser and mentor was Jeremiah Wright. But he's out. Then there's William Ayers, with whom he served on a board. He's out. Where are the others?

The oddity of this convention is that its central figure is the ultimate self-made man, a dazzling mysterious Gatsby. The palpable apprehension is that the anointed is a stranger -- a deeply engaging, elegant, brilliant stranger with whom the Democrats had a torrid affair. Having slowly woken up, they see the ring and wonder who exactly they married last night.

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[edit on 29-8-2008 by LLoyd45]

We live in london and even my dad, who normally falls in line with the news,a nd media, noticed how everyone just jumps on this histeria and worship of obama, without him even speaking.

The pop culture is so weird, how people in america are voting for someone just on his looks alone, and the fact he is good at remembering how he was coached on what to say.

reply to post by andy1033

I'll admit he's a very engaging person, but it seems that everything he says is devoid of substance. His speeches sound great when you're listening to him, but afterwards you realize he's really said nothing of substance.

He speech last night was a perfect example. It was emotional, it was moving, but it gave no details. It was just so much rhetoric, with very fewfactual examples of how he planned to cut taxes for the middle class, and at the same time provide all these wonderful social programs he's promising. Where's the beef?



[edit on 29-8-2008 by LLoyd45]

reply to post by andy1033


I come from a political family and, as such, have always been fairly well versed in the issues, candidates beliefs, etc. We have all been like that as long as I can remember. I think it took until Obama-mania before I realized just how shallow most American voters really are.

Who the heck cares what they look like? I am still struggling to figure out how looks have come to influence this election SO much. Who is the man? Why on earth would I possibly want to vote him into the highest position in the land without knowing WHO he is.

And yes, I do completely agree with all those people who wondered why it was so hard to produce a birth certificate. Yes, it is his personal life. The same life he is purposely thrusting into the spotlight in his bid to become the person who will lead this country for the next four years. It's just like any other job - if we truly are the people who "hire" him, then I should get to know his basic information. My employer sure does, so how is this any different?

Originally posted by CeltAngel
I come from a political family and, as such, have always been fairly well versed in the issues, candidates beliefs, etc. We have all been like that as long as I can remember. I think it took until Obama-mania before I realized just how shallow most American voters really are.

Who the heck cares what they look like? I am still struggling to figure out how looks have come to influence this election SO much. Who is the man? Why on earth would I possibly want to vote him into the highest position in the land without knowing WHO he is.

Unfortunately, rather than real substance, people have systematically been dumbed down by the media and the educational system in our country to where a candidate's image is much more important than who they really are, or what they actually stand for.

And yes, I do completely agree with all those people who wondered why it was so hard to produce a birth certificate. Yes, it is his personal life. The same life he is purposely thrusting into the spotlight in his bid to become the person who will lead this country for the next four years. It's just like any other job - if we truly are the people who "hire" him, then I should get to know his basic information. My employer sure does, so how is this any different?

There is no difference in my opinion. When you decide to become a public figure, you must accept the inevitable fact that every aspect of your life is subject to scrutiny. Providing a birth certificate should be no real problem for a presidential candidate. Nobody likes to buy a pig in a poke, especially when it comes to their president.