Joe Klein: "Why Obama is Winning" (the best column about Obama I've ever read)

[scheming daemons]

A five-page article, that gets into the mind of Obama.

This is a special man that we're about to elect, folks. A very special man.


The money quote that ends the column:

He is undoubtedly as ego-driven as everyone else seeking the highest office — perhaps more so, given his race, his name and his lack of experience. But he has not been childishly egomaniacal, in contrast to our recent baby-boomer Presidents — or petulant, in contrast to his opponent. He does not seem needy. He seems a grown-up, in a nation that badly needs some adult supervision.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1853025-1,00.html

[Tatiana]

1. K&R. This is an outstanding piece. Klein also points out another important fact:

But one of the more remarkable spectacles of the 2008 election — unprecedented in my time as a journalist — was the unanimity among Democrats on matters of policy once the personality clash between Obama and Hillary Clinton was set aside. There was no squabbling between old and new Dems, progressives and moderates, over race or war or peace. This was a year for no-drama Democrats, which made Obama as comfortable a fit for them as McCain was awkward for the Republican base.

I really like that... the "no-drama Democrats." It's nice to see our party steady at the helm, on-message, united, and supportive of one another. It has been a joy to watch the coordination and working together towards one common goal: winning a majority and reversing the disastrous course of the Republicans. They seem to sense not only the urgency, but the fact that, as Obama says, this is our "moment." The stars are in alignment and instead of being the usual milquetoast, we see very smart, strategic decision being made from the national level on down to local races. Partisan bickering has been set aside to work for the goal of the many. Many people I was very disappointed with early on have been some of our party's most staunch advocates including Hillary Clinton, Rahm Emmanuel, Paul Begala (and the Cajun one too), Chuck Schumer, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and many, many others.

I only with Stephanie Tubbs-Jones had lived to see this day.

[Waiting For Everyman]

9. Yes!

A very good point - one to remember.

[WinkyDink]

15. He did get his dig in at Bill, though.

[DrToast]

2. Joe Klein is one of the best...

I could be biased because he's railed on McCain pretty hard (and deservedly so), but I really like his writing, too.

[my2sense]

3. K & R

[buddysmellgood]

4. Beautiful

[Historic NY]

5. excellent article

[Richard Steele]

6. K&R

[Beregond2]

7. Terrific. This is what "fair and balanced" looks like.

[Douglas Carpenter]

8. AN ABSOLUTELY SUPERB ARTICLE!!!! KICK AND RECOMMENDED!!!

A must read for the entire article!!!!

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1853025-5,00.html

[Amerigo Vespucci]

10. I also liked this particular insight from the new Rolling Stone interview:

In what way will people underestimate you as president?

(Long pause) Because I tend to be a pretty courteous person and I don't lose my temper, I think people underestimate my willingness to mix it up. I don't know if they'll continue to underestimate that after this campaign, but I think you'll still get columns saying, "He's too cool, he's too soft." That's OK, actually.

You like being underestimated in that way.

Yeah. No point in having them see you coming.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/23589412/page/7

:toast:

[MJkcj]

18. he may be quiet but he is F***ing smart

[Window]

11. K/R.

:kick:

[Window]

12. K/R.

:kick:

[Connie_Corleone]

13. Kick

[Coexist]

14. No-shock Barack, No-drama Obama.

[Captain Hilts]

24. GREAT slogans!

[high density]

16. What a great article

Everybody that gets to sit down with Obama seems to leave with the sense that he will be a great leader for our country.

[sellitman]

17. An adult in the White House. How refreshing!

Great read. Thanks for posting.

[TexasLady]

19. wasn't he on icky Joe this morning?

If it's the same Klein, He was just as beaming for Obama on the show.

[BeyondGeography]

20. Great insights...Thank God he didn't play Nervous Nellie Democrat like they wanted him to here

On the afternoon when McCain suspended his campaign, threatened to scuttle the Sept. 26 debate and hopped a plane back to Washington to try to resolve the crisis, Obama was in Florida doing debate prep with his top advisers. When he was told about McCain's maneuvers, Obama's first reaction — according to an aide — was, "You gotta be kidding. I'm going to debate. A President has to be able to do more than one thing at a time." But there was a storm brewing among Obama's supporters in Congress and the Beltway establishment. "My BlackBerry was exploding," said an Obama aide. "They were saying we had to suspend. McCain was going to look more like a statesman, above the fray."

"I didn't believe it," Obama told me. "I have to tell you, one of the benefits of running this 22-month gauntlet is that ... you start realizing that what seems important or clever or in need of some dramatic moment a lot of times just needs reflection and care. And I think that was an example of where my style at least worked." Obama realized that he and McCain could be little more than creative bystanders — and one prominent Republican told me that McCain was "the least creative person in the room at the President's White House meeting. He simply had no ideas. He didn't even have any good questions." Obama had questions for the Treasury Secretary and the Fed chairman, but he was under no illusions: he didn't have the power to influence the final outcome, so it was best to stay calm and not oversell his role. It was an easy call, his natural bias. But, Obama acknowledged, "There are going to be some times where ... I won't have the luxury of thinking through all the angles."

[Supersedeas]

21. apparently Joe and Mika didn't like Klien's piece that much -- Peggy Noonan gets the love

[Captain Hilts]

22. Klein HATES Bill Clinton. Ho hum. Joe, air it out with MoDo and think about...

how you both made George W. Bush president.

[scheming daemons]

23. self-kick

[Cowpunk]

25. Five Pages? I Can Explain Why In Four Words!

He's the anti-Bush.