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You Had Me At Hello

By Nicole Russell on 1.14.09 @ 2:28PM

Finally, George Packer blogs at the New Yorker, a President who can do something right--talk!

This piece in today's Times reassures me that Obama knows the difference between campaigning and governing, and between strategic communications and deliberative democracy.

Am I the only one who thinks this is laughable? Perhaps Packer is delving in deep political theories beyond my brain (I know, I know, I've never written for the New Yorker), but what exactly has Obama done yet?

Governed? Led a democracy? Oh wait, just campaigned, just strategized, just talked.

Rather than simply asserting his plans with anodyne uplift and ignoring the counter-arguments, he's explained honestly, he's reasoned, he's even offered to listen.

Lots of people can do this.  Lots of great men and women in positions of leadership have done this, but it doesn't mean they were able to execute and actually lead.

I'm not saying Obama's not going to live up to the expectations (after all, I am implying Packer leave out premature judgement and so should I), I'm just saying, who gives a flying inauguration speech that he can speak well?

We know this. So let's see what he's actually going to do. This, we don't know.