A shameless plug for Obama
My wife Margery and I saw our favored candidate, Barack Obama, this morning at a house party in Exeter. Margery has seen him three times and I, four times. He really grows on us each time we see him. He speaks thoughtfully but forcefully when giving his talk and responding to questions. He is much more relaxed and effective doing that than in the debates, where it seems necessary to give emphatic answers instantly. His principal opponent, Sen. Clinton, is better in that format. I often compare Obama to Lincoln. As I understand it, Lincoln was deeply thoughtful, preparing a draft of a speech or state paper, then revising it as he talked with several people over a perioid of time, and finally delivering a document that was eloquent, persuasive, and widely respected. In the Lincoln-Douglas debates, which went on for hours, sound bites were not important. Sen. Obama's second book, The Audacity of Hope, is an example of his thoughtful approach to the important issues facing us, and I recommend that undecided voters obtain a copy and read at least some of it.