I'm still thinking a lot about Obama's character, the fact that he ran a perfect race and we have little idea of his inner life. There was no spontaneity in his speech last night. I can't think of one line that was personal and concrete and from the heart except for his comments about his strategists; so those were lines about ambition. The rhetoric, as I wrote before, was very high-flown. While McCain's was direct and concrete and even personal. At times Obama's speech seemed to me a little immature even, in its Harvard-speechwritingness and lack of directness. I love Obama, but I think he will need to come down to the human level, and be more open if he is going to lead. Already I wonder how aloof and arrogant he will be toward the press and the negative dynamic that could result.
When I told my wife about this, she said that he has had to be this way to make his way as a black man in America. Agreed. He has trust issues. He has never shown his hand and has played people deftly, allowed everyone to project, and to believe that he agrees with them. Much as I am looking forward to his selling out the biggest investor/projectors of all, the Israel lobby, I wonder whether this style can be successful. He has shown incredible intelligence, judgment, sangfroid, and management skills, but he must get past his guardedness and even resentment. How much black anger is there? Dreams From My Fathers is now 15 years past and reveals a different person, but there is considerable anger in that book. Fine; anger is human, but can you grow from it? Neocons were fueled by their ethnic resentment to build a parallel establishment. Then they burned down the Middle East. Obama has grown incredibly over the last two years. You can see the gray hairs now. I say it will be a great thing to watch him continue to grow.
