Charles Krauthammer expresses his continuing amazement that America knows so little about Obama and yet he now stands as the official Democratic nominee for president of the United States.
As Juan Williams of NPR and Fox News points out (and national polls repeatedly confirm), Obama is where he is because, not in spite of, his race. Many whites and non-black minorities in this country WANT to vote for a qualified black to be president, while more than 90% of blacks do, too. But how do we know he's qualified? Before bestowing the mantle of Martin Luther King, Jr. on him, Williams says we at least should know where he stands on issues affecting race, but we do not.
Not only has Obama carefully not disclosed his positions on key issues, instead offering "hope" for "change," there is an even more basic lack that Krauthammer points out: If we cannot measure Obama by his very thin resumé of accomplishments, then who are the persons of stature who can vouch for his character? Certainly not long-time associates American-haters Reverend Jeremiah Wright or unrepentant terrorist bomber William Ayers.
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.
Is this absence of witnesses the reason for the sense of anxiety that pervaded the Democratic convention?
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.
The question hangs in the air: "Who is this stranger?"
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.
That is nonsense. There were SO many such testimonials.
There was his menton Jerry Kellman, who first hired him as a community organizer and has known him 20 years. There was his sister who he grew up with. There was Alexi Giannoulias who has been his friend for decades and is Illinois State Treasurer. There was a parade of state Senators that knew him before he entered national politics.
There was a TON of people who stood up to say "I know Barack and I trust him."
And lets not forget Mayor Daley, Rev Wright and Resko amongst others.
My, my!
A testimonial for Barack from his sister! Wow, that really is meaningful.
Notice Barack isn't using any testimonials from the ever-wrong Reverend Wright these days !
Perhaps Barack could use one from Hillary or Bill from during the primary season. There were some juicy ones there -- about his lack of experience and leadership, for instance.
Win Thomas