On Obama

There's only so much time to waste in a day, and I have resisted talking about the American Presidential race because I just don't really read that much about it. Not at this stage of the game, anyway.

But I have some impressions about Obama that I may as well share now:

1. There's a certain touch of the Kevin Rudd's about him. Lots of talk about symbolism and changing paths, etc; but pretty empty with clear, concrete policy when you come down to it. It's all to be worked out in the future.

2. Am I the only person who thinks that his political success is about 50% attributable to his voice alone?

3. Some things that raise doubts about his general wisdom: that church, and he was/is a smoker. (Yeah, sorry, but a guy with a family in his forties who still smokes is showing reduced common sense. Tough but true!)

4. His wife looks a little mean to me.

5. I worry that he will be another Jimmy Carter: all well intentioned, but weak when it comes to dealing with difficult nations.

6. He is really going to galvanise the pro-lifers in the campaign if this statement from this article from American Spectator is correct:

And he promises, "the first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act," which would over-turn hundreds of federal and state laws limiting abortion, including the federal ban on partial-birth abortion and bans on public funding of abortion.

7. Apart from youth, the comparisons with John F Kennedy are somewhat off the mark. At least Kennedy had both distinctive military service and 14 years as a federal politician behind him. (Actually, I didn't realise JFK had been in politics for so long before he became President.) That crack that Hilary Clinton made about her experience versus Obama's "one speech" certainly rings very true.

UPDATE:

8. Great gaffe made by Obama about Jerusalem this week. He's really got the trainer wheels on. (How Bush would be slammed by the Democrats if he had said the same thing.)