Comments on: Obama: 6:54 of clarity

By: Russ Wellen

Russ Wellen — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:14:35 +0000

The great American experiment in entrusting our country to someone who doesn’t make us feel inferior with his superior intelligence has failed.

I just about finished reading “Arsenals of Folly” by Richard Rhodes, the nuclear chronicler. The climax of the book is Reagan and Gorbachev’s summit at Reykjavik.

We think Reagan wasn’t, to be charitable, a details guy. But he studied hard, referred to his notes, and engaged Gorbachev in dialogue for days on end. (Of course, it didn’t end so happily, no thanks to Reagan. But that’s another story.)

Bush couldn’t have even gotten to square one in that chess game. But at least he’s helped us understand the importance of electing a president with brains.

By: Djerrid

Djerrid — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:24:10 +0000

To hell with charisma. The sheer power of someone’s personality is a somewhat undervalued and derided factor in choosing a leader, but no one should base their vote on charm. The clarity and coherence of delivering an argument is a much more important trait in a presidential contender. Doing so in a way that incorperates opposing viewpoints instead of dismissing or deriding them while still holding firm to one’s core beliefs is a rare and commendable talent.

Case in point: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579,00.html
That’s a chapter from Obama’s “Audacity” book chiseling the wall between church and state. And while I don’t share his views on religion or how it intersects with politics, I have a real appreciation for the way he carved his path to his conclusion. This transparency in his decision-making process and his non-ideological approach speaks volumes about his ability to create consensus needed so that we can take the large steps needed to fix this country.

By: Scrogues : freedompictures

Scrogues : freedompictures — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:18:56 +0000

[...] In the past couple of days, inter alia: Euphrosyne pokes a pointy stick in the beady eye of Chris Matthews, Dr. Slammy finds a recording of Alfred Tennyson reciting The Charge of the Light Brigade and muses further on the eloquence of Barack Obama [...]

By: Martin

Martin — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:52:23 +0000

What does it say about how low we’ve set the bar that someone of Obama’s elocution and verbal skill is now exceptional? There was a time when ALL of our great leaders could command an audience and spin a narrative.

We get the leaders we deserve, and those that are suitable for our times. Perhaps Bush is emblematic of our debased, ahistoric, and coarsened culture, and Obama is a signifier of what we can return to.

One can hope.

By: Support this story on Stirrdup

Support this story on Stirrdup — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:49:51 +0000

Obama: 6:54 of clarity…

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By: Mike Sheehan

Mike Sheehan — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:16:05 +0000

Hell, me loaded on Everclear and Coke would make more sense than Boosh. Which makes me wonder what *he’s* been drinking.

By: Dr. Slammy

Dr. Slammy — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:54:06 +0000

I am immune to raw charisma.

By: Euphrosyne

Euphrosyne — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:38:25 +0000

Come to us, Sam… come to the Obamarama…