"But that clearly isn’t what she was talking about. For as she had argued in the Wisconsin speech, America’s illness goes far beyond a flawed political process: “Barack knows that at some level there’s a hole in our souls.” This was a variation of language she had used earlier on the campaign trail: “Barack Obama is the only person in this race who understands that, that before we can work on the problems, we have to fix our souls. Our souls are broken in this nation.”
But they can be repaired. Indeed, she had said a couple of weeks before, in Los Angeles: “Barack Obama ... is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions. That you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones. That you push yourselves to be better. And that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed.”
So we don’t have to work to improve our souls. Our broken souls can be fixed — by our voting for Barack Obama. We don’t have to fight or sacrifice to help our country. Our uninvolved and uninformed lives can be changed — by our choosing Barack Obama. America can become a nation to be proud of — by letting ourselves be led by Barack Obama." William Kristol in the NY Times
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Here you see the essence of this Fall's Republican campaign against Obama (if he is nominated). The argument will be made that Obama is a threat to traditional American political life.
This will be easy to do given the present rhetoric from the Obamians. Mrs. Obama describes her husband as a "cure" rather than a candidate. In her view, he is going to change us, permanently. I did not know that this was a function of political leadership in this country. Actually, I have labored under the burden of the notion that the presidency of the United States was a rather limited job, carefully limited in fact to that which the constitution allows. Perhaps that is no longer true. Perhaps the president is now "king for a while." Presidents are praised or blamed for everything that happens "on their watch." That tendency in the media and public seems indicative of an inability to deal with the notion of limited government. That is too bad. It may indicate that the days of real republicanism in this country are passing.
I, for one, do not wish to be "changed" by any politician. I do not want to have the "hole in my soul" repaired. I do not wish to be forbidden to go on with my own petty little life in my own petty little way.
It is odd that Bill Kristol, Brooks and I are on the same side in this. Odd, but refreshing. I wonder how many of their opponents on the left would feel so strongly for Obama if he were on the right with these two men?
Incidentally. I don't intimidate easily, so those people who write nasty notes about this (as opposed to reasoned objection) should simply "vote with their feet." pl
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/opinion/25kristol.html?ref=opinion
