 So I watched Barak Obama on Meet the Press on Sunday. He is gearing up for a run at the executive branch leadership in '08 and was also chatting up his new book. I have to say, he's very articulate. He's well-spoken and charismatic, and he doesn't seem to have much dirt on him that could hold him back. I'm just curious what Hillary is going to do, and what that means for Obama? Seems to me that Hillary just has too much baggage to get elected. I could be wrong, and crazier things have happened, but it seems a little out of reach for her. So would she accept an invitation to run for Vice-President? (She doesn't come across as liking the second-in-command seat very much). So can Obama get elected president? He's pretty young and not-white. That's kind of a departure from precedent, although certainly welcome from this observer.
I haven't read his book yet, but he described some of his views on the show on Sunday, inlcuding the argument that the major idealogical political battles of the recent past have been grounded in the thinking of the sixties (i.e. big government vs. small government, personal privacy rights, etc.), and that now, politics are evolving to be centered more in globalization.
He seemed to be saying that as the major markets of the world have shown tremendous convergence over the past 30 years, so have our political relationships. I have studied the convergence of economies. These are data that can be tested. Convergence of political ideals however concerns me. Anyone who watched or read about the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts should have been awed by his dedication to and expansive knowledge of constitutional law. Obama voted against Roberts' nomination. On Meet the Press, Obama claimed he was not satisfied with some of Roberts' previous rulings. I think that's crap. Roberts came across as just about the most qualified person on earth for that job, and the only real votes against him were from Democrats looking to shield themselves because of the fact that Roberts was nominated by Bush. To me, that's an example of making leadership decisions based on politics, not on values.
I am concerned by anyone who believes that our Constitution should be interpreted from a global standpoint and not an idealistic one. Maybe I am just conservative like that, but I believe in leadership by principle and not by polls. I don't know enough to have an opinion of Obama yet, but I am interested in hearing more from him. Could he be an intellectual that grabs the middle ground of America, or a globalist that would rather make friends with France that do what is necessary for our country? If he decides to run for president, he will have a lot of difficult tests ahead of him, from both Republicans and Democrats. I will reserve judgement until I learn more or before I believe Joe Klein, when he says that Obama is the "megahype star that lives up to the hype."
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