Charisma vs Anything at all...

It's not that I'm particularly taken with either presidential option. I'm fairly conservative in my personal views and liberal in my financial views. I understand the merits of unbound capitalism and the drive needed to succeed but wouldn't turn away government assistance in putting my oldest through college. I'm simply stating that in the vacuum that is the presidential debate, Barak is an absolute master at controlling the subject and the course of the conversation. Not just what is said but what is remembered to be heard! McCain, a true American war hero should be walking away with the election but with mobility issues ( related to his imprisonment in Vietnam ), and a forced smile he just can't seem to win the camera. Nixon had the exact same problem with Kennedy in 1960 when the first televised debate was held.

I watched the other night as he repeatedly took hard questions and applied them to a simple formula that always, and I mean always turned to his advantage. He would take a question, redefine the subject matter to something more palatable, then answer the more palatable definition as if prompted by a hidden script. The reason he always seemed to have the answer is because he changed what the question was to suit the answer he was already prepared to give!

Now, many will think I somehow frown upon this ability... quite the contrary!  Anyone that can change the course of a conversation at that level, deserves credit for the ability. It comes from years of preparation and coaching. One might even say, grooming.

Barak will win the election and become the first Black American president, not because he's the better option ( which he may or may not be ), but because he looks and sounds "the part" more than his rival. After all is said and done, the same superficial standards that have often allowed others to ascend to the highest office will now actually work to the benefit of Senator Obama. We live in a world where perception IS reality, and the perception is that Senator Obama is ready to take the lead and change our course as a country.

I once asked my youngest daughter what was so funny while sitting and watching a family movie at home. She laughed almost uncontrollably while manipulating her glasses to cause a blurred, distorted view of the screen. It caused, in her eyes, people on the screen to appear doubled. When asked to stop her laughing so that the rest of the family could "enjoy" the movie, she promptly replied," But dad, I AM enjoying the movie."

Maybe we should all get some of those glasses. It might be the best thing for our country after all.