- Top Features:
- War Room
- Glenn Greenwald
- Broadsheet
- Joan Walsh
- Camille Paglia
- Since You Asked
- Follow Salon:
Read other letters about this article
Every week or so, some media pundit says something to this effect:
"Barack Obama is or seems to be X. He is associated with Y, and this cannot stand.
The American people need him to categorically state he is not X, or he is doomed, and will absolutely not win the nomination. He must repudiate everything that Y ever uttered, or face stinging electoral defeat."
Insert tax and spend liberal, Farrakhan, Jeremiah Wright, too black, not black enough, Rezko and many others for X and Y.
The media seems to love to set up hoops for him to jump through. Russert, Brian Williams, Glenn Beck, Jonah Goldberg and other point to such hoops with fingers covered in grease from McCain's barbecue/lovefest in Arizona. You know, Cindy's house. To his credit, he's demurred from some of these demands, and told his side of things. Clearly and calmly.
The speech in Philadelphia was inspired. Not a world changing event. But definitely inspired. The people that ABC and others are polling lately show that some of the electorate is ready for a presidential candidate to talk to American voters as if we are adults. Many media people seem to still favor junior high school level conversation.
Last, I want to see a McCain/Obama debate. I thought the debates in 2004 were one sided. The McSame/Barack-star conflagration should be a rhetorical massacre.
