His Emptiness

I first read about Barack Obama in June 2005 in an article by Peggy Noonan. I think I missed his 2004 Democratic convention speech. Obama, then a first term senator with all of a year and a half in office, compared himself to Abraham Linclon as follows:

This week comes the previously careful Sen. Barack Obama, flapping his wings in Time magazine and explaining that he's a lot like Abraham Lincoln, only sort of better. "In Lincoln's rise from poverty, his ultimate mastery of language and law, his capacity to overcome personal loss and remain determined in the face of repeated defeat--in all this he reminded me not just of my own struggles."

As Sarah Palin pointed out, Senator Obama has had time to write two memoirs but no major piece of legislation. But he clearly believes he is The One, comparing himself to Lincoln being only the most egregious examples. Were he not in politics he might be diagnosed with a disorder.

Yet, he proposes to lead our nation despite lacking any significant accomplishments. How can this be? Over at American Thinker, Bookworm theorizes that a goodly portion of the electorate is acting like the classic abused woman, who theorizes that her boyfriend will shape up once he is married. He makes all the promises, even one's she knows he can't keep. (I won't raise your taxes, but you will receive free health care. We will stop greenhouse gas emissions but not the economy.) And he tells her that he loves her. After all the trauma she's been through, the sordid Clinton scandals, 2000 election debacle, 9/11, the government's clumsy domestic response and now the S&L debacle, (did I really say that? I was thinking the current Fannie Mae and credit mess), she just desperately wants to BELIEVE. But as Bookworm points out:

Just as marriage to the bad boy won't magically make him better, a presidential inauguration won't transform the anti-American, unaccomplished Barack Obama into an effective statesman imbued with a true love for his country.

So I hope the electorate gets some cold feet soon, because too much is at stake. The best antidote for the last sixteen years would be competent leadership dedicated to real reform in our government. With Barack Obama expect the same old liberalism dressed up in new clothing, but inevitably growing government which will make it even less effective and accountable.

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