The American Spectator

Campaign Crawlers

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that thread, asking with laser-point accuracy, "If we are the change we have been waiting for then why have we been waiting since we've been here all along?"

Hasn't every politician promised "Change" and "Hope"? Hasn't every politician used rhetoric that sounded Biblical, with varying degrees of success? How has Obama gone for so long without being called out as an articulate cliche? In an alternative universe in which there was never a Hillary Clinton, how would Obama be framed without the greatest threat of the 21st Century: the baby boomers?

IT'S HARD TO BLAME the Clintons (a rarity, in fact). As a political adolescence goes, Obama's rite of passage (his 2004 Democratic convention speech) was certainly awash with silver spoons. CNN correspondent Candy Crowley even exclaimed in her interview following a speech, "You're a star!" But the speech he gave, even then, was a clever misappropriation of conservative rhetoric to liberal ends. He described the plight of his parents who had to work hard to get where they were, which perked up ears. Then he went on to outline a philosophy that would ensure that no one else would ever have to work that hard again.

Hillary couldn't do a thing without being heavily scrutinized. Even her "inevitability" was always a bit of a slam. She finds herself now playing John Kerry to Obama's Howard Dean -- not the nominee that everyone wants, but the one they may have to settle for once the Obama bubble bursts. That is, if Obama ever has his "scream" moment, or his "tank" moment. But it is hard to believe that "Just Words" (the speech he supposedly stole) could be the turning point, considering it was still a moment of eloquence, even if borrowed.

That eloquence, though, is overstated. Barack Obama is not a good speaker. He can read speeches better than George W. Bush -- but that is a very low bar. As he continually refuses Hillary's demands that he debate her (as here), he is being rightly accused of a problem he has: an inability to engage, an inability to speak on issues. Hillary Clinton is defined by her willingness to engage. Her husband is a reminder of how bad that willingness can be.

Liberals may be tired of that willingness right now, in the midst of the Democratic primaries. However, when Democrats see Barack Obama standing at a podium, not across from a sympathetic audience chanting "Si se puede," but across from John McCain, they will wonder whether it was wise to simply hope for a good candidate.

topics:
John McCain, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton