George Will calls on Obama to run .... link

[Alhena]

Reading between the lines, it seems clear that Will is something of an Obama fan. He said on Stephanopalous' show a few weeks ago that he had lunch with Obama and was reminded of how major league baseball scouts must have felt when they saw Alex Rodriguez for the first time.

Now, some of you will hold it against Obama that he has some conservative fans, while Hillary engenders nearly uniform scorn from conservative ranks. But as Will points out in his column, Obama's actual voting record is even more liberal than Hillary's. This is no Evan Bayh here. And if Obama charms conservatives with his personality, so much the better. I think it's a very good sign for Obama's electability that he has some fans on the right side of the aisle.

Incidentally, I strongly agree with this statement by Will:

"Second, if you get the girl up on her tiptoes, you should kiss her. The electorate is on its tiptoes because Obama has collaborated with the creation of a tsunami of excitement about him. He is nearing the point when a decision against running would brand him as a tease who ungallantly toyed with the electorate's affections."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/13/AR2006121301901.html

[NewJeffCT]

1. Charles Krauthammer called on him to run, too

and, he's one of the big neocon op-ed writers out there.

[lancdem]

7. Ew!

[xchrom]

2. me? i want to see him be a senator first -- or a governor --

i want to see how he manages.

i know next to nothing about his actual ability to do the job.

[Mortos]

11. Isn't he a senator now?

Don't understand your comment.

[Benhurst]

3. With fans like Krauthammer and Will,

he doesn't need any enemies.

:puke: And that's from someone who supported him when he ran for the Senate.

Hardly encouraging.

[Cronus Protagonist]

4. Yeah, you know they've seen their private poll data

That's why they hate Hillary so much, and, obviously, love Obama.

[beaconess]

5. Or maybe it's a nefarious conservative plot - don't fall for it!

The conservatives are scared to death of Barack Obama knowing he's their worst nightmare - a fearless Black man who's smarter, savvier and more acomplished than they are and who knows it. But they know that if they show their fear, they'll just encourage us to get behind Obama even more. So they hatched a "Operation Okie-Doke" whereby they will pretend that they want Obama to run more than anything else on earth, assuming that many Democrats will adopt a kneejerk reaction and automatically assume that any friend of our enemy is our enemy, too and we'll try to destroy Obama's chances from inside without the conservatives having their fingerprints on anything.

Ahh, very clever George and Charlie. But I'm not falling for it. Nice try, though.

:sarcasm:

[Alhena]

6. The last I checked ...

conservatives actually get to vote. I also seem to recall us losing the last 2 presidential elections due to the conservative nature of many of our voters.

Like I said- look at Obama's voting record. It is very progressive. Is it not possible that we are dealing with a man who has such undeniable personal qualities that they transcend politics? I think that is precisely what is happening here. Obama is a man who people of all political persuasions look at and think "I really like that guy." What's so bad about that?

[Benhurst]

10. If you think neocons such as Will and Krauthammer write puff columns

for a progressive because they "really like the guy," you haven't been paying attention to their careers.

If they see Obama as a threat, they may be trying to damn him with progressives with their praise.

More likely, they see him as a pushover for a Republican candidate, which if he does get the nomination, I hope will be proven wrong.

If there is anyone out there who thinks Will, Krauthammer and their fascist followers are going to be won over by Obama or any other Democrat, please contact me. I've got a great bridge for sale in New York.

And, by the way, we did not lose the last two presidential elections because of "the conservative nature of many of our voters" -- the elections were stolen, in case you failed to notice.

[Alhena]

12. Will has been writing against the Iraq War ...

I don't know if you've noticed, but Will have been reaming W a new one over the Iraq War, which he recently described as "arguably the greatest foreign policy disaster in American history."

So I see Will as being intellectually honest at least- I don't agree with most of his views, but he is not just a shill for the neocons.

Besides, I think people should make up their own minds about a candidate based on his record. If you don't like Obama or his record, then that's fine, but it doesn't make much sense to me to base one's opinion on what other people think about him, pro or con.

[Benhurst]

13. Will may not be a brilliant as he tries so hard to convince others

he is; but he is not an idiot. It comes as no surprise to me he has finally deserted the ship on Iraq.

Intellectually honest? I'm not so sure. Do you remember the stolen presidential (Carter) debate briefing books? If not, Google it. Mr. Will's intellectual honesty is transitory at best, dubious at worst.

I would not be influenced by anything either wrote. But it would be a mistake to take puff pieces written be either at face value. They are up to something, and it's never truth, justice and the American way.

[KKKarl is an idiot]

8. I believe this guy

can beat any republican thrown at him. The reason is that he appeals to everyone. Only the few who do not want a "black" president will not vote for him. He is our best bet for having a democrat in the WH. I will say that I still fear for his family in all of this. People could decide he is to popular & threaten to harm his family because he "black".

[lancdem]

9. I worry about his lack of experience

However, I believe he has an unbelievably bright future, and have no problem if he runs now. I love the fact that it's our party that produces talent like this!