The Great Man

I watched the “great man” closely on television last night. He was either just himself or he has lost himself.

Barak Obama came on the scene as a startling talent. He came out of the darkness to run for the United States senate in a major state. The details of the coincidental success aren’t important because it was only the springboard to unbelievable accomplishment after a short stint in congress. Timing? Talent? Force of personality? In retrospect it is so hard to say. But it was a meteoric rise.

Yet there is a certain strangeness to his allure. Most people saw him as an amazing campaigner in his salad days. He was never flamboyant but he had reserved energy that seemed to be wanting to get out but was always on the verge. You could feel it under his delivery and you imagined more than what you saw and heard. He had wallop in a low key and he seemed so genuine in a very natural way. He wasn’t overreaching and his demeanor was such that while he was strong, handsome, articulate and charming he still had the common touch of a former community organizer. And he was a writer. Read the rest of this entry