Joe Klein has a mostly fawning article in Time about Barack Obama, that, nonetheless, explores how the Senator's desire to find common ground could hurt his presidential prospects:

An old-time Chicago politician told me Obama's thoughtfulness might be a negative in a presidential campaign. "You have to convey strength," he said, "and it's hard to do that when you're giving on-the-other-hand answers."

A lot of Americans are frustrated by what they see as a nasty tone to politics, and it's easy to see why they would be drawn to Obama. However, to be an effective leader, eventually you're going to have to say and do a lot of things that will anger people. I think Obama would be making a huge mistake by running for president in 2008. He would be much better off running for governor first, and gaining some experience in an executive capacity.