Cue the Backlash

This blog seems, over the past month, to have become mostly a Friday affair. Nothing wrong with that, but it's a little curious. However, it (the blog) remains fascinated, perhaps unduly so, on U.S. politics. So get ready for another helping of Obama.

We're starting to see some of the inevitable backlash against Obama, now that he's three weeks and change into his life as the undisputed presidential nominee for the Democrats. There's more scrutiny on him now, and campaigning against McCain has forced him to make pragmatic decisions that often contradict the "new kind of politics" messaging that elicited an almost religious reverence from some quarters during the primary season. It's one thing to try and win over the Democratic base, another thing to go fishing for votes in independent and Republican pools, so expect Obama's messianic rep to take a beating in the next few months as he tries to appeal to more conservative voters.

This will upset some people, of course, but it serves as a reminder that citizens in a democracy should place facts ahead of hype and rhetoric. And anyone upset by Obama's more cynical turns needs to give his or her head a vigorous shake. No, he's not the political equivalent of the Christ child. He may not even be especially nice. But he stands for political and religious freedom, women's rights, racial equality and a thoughtful, imaginative approach to foreign policy, whereas McCain is anti-abortion and an ardent supporter of the Iraq war.

Will Barack Obama fail to live up to the ethical and ideological bar he set for himself when the presidency was just a glimmer in his eye? Yes. But if you're an American voter and your beliefs align with his in terms of policy, there's no question where your vote should go.