Obama: "Political analysts and historians see a parallel with John F. Kennedy."

ClarkUSA

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Tue Dec-25-07 04:12 PM
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Obama: "Political analysts and historians see a parallel with John F. Kennedy."

Edited on Tue Dec-25-07 05:09 PM by ClarkUSA

CONCORD, N.H. - Barack Obama defines himself on the campaign trail as... the Democrat who has transcended the battles of the Baby Boom
generation... Obama's intellectual confidence, which has propelled his political career, is a hallmark of his campaign identity, a notable contrast
to the resume-boasting of Hillary Clinton and the fiery populism of John Edwards - a contrast that Edwards himself tried to draw in the last few
days by suggesting that Obama was too "academic" to win.

"An intellectual is by definition someone who questions and doesn't take assumptions at their face value, and I think that's one of the things
that's inspiring about the guy," said Joel Barkan, professor emeritus at the University of Iowa and a senior associate at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies in Washington. This element of Obama's character is evident in his embrace of nuance and rejection of simplistic
either-or choices; in his academic analysis of policy and strategy; and in his impatience with what he deems foolish press inquiries and
attacks by opponents. Obama's intellectualism appeals to voters who consider it an elixir to what they see as President Bush's willful
ignorance. "The guy's got a brain," said Cindy Kleeman, a 54-year-old clothing business owner from Bedford, N.H., who is still undecided.

<snip>

Political analysts and historians see a parallel with John F. Kennedy, whose melding of Harvard-caliber intellect with Irish Catholic street
credibility allowed him to inspire and lead the country without appearing aloof. They see Obama more like Kennedy than Adlai Stevenson,
whose presidential campaigns in 1952 and 1956 faltered partly because he was seen more as an egghead than leader... Obama's confidence
in his views stems in part from his prescience on the Iraq war, the outcome of which he largely predicted in a 2002 address. He was proud
enough of the speech to recently rerecord its best lines for a TV ad. "I am not opposed to all wars," he said in the speech. "I'm opposed to
dumb wars."

Richard Epstein, a prominent conservative who taught with Obama at the University of Chicago, said he likes Obama but rejects the suggestion
that he is an intellectual, arguing that he merely mimics an intellectual's mannerisms.

"It's not a title that's an honorific," Epstein said. "He's an activist."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/12/25/law_professor_obama_embraces_nuance_on_trail/?page=1

Political analysts and historians are not the only ones who see parallels between Obama and JFK. For those inevitable naysayers, I present the
following:

Listen to longtime JFK aide and speechwriter Ted Sorenson as he compares Obama's candidacy to Kennedy's 50 years ago in this Charlie
Rose inteview where he also endorses Obama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReDCmk2c2g8

Here is another video of Sorenson talking about why he thinks Obama is the best candidate for president. He feels what counts most in a
president is not experience but judgment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hupgC1d-St8

Former US Senator Harris Wofford (D-PA), helped to launch the Peace Corps under the Kennedy Administration and played a key role in crafting
legislation that led to AmeriCorps. He has also endorsed Obama. Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rUIkM-GjKU&NR=1

I agree with Ted Sorenson and Harris Wofford in feeling that judgment is a more important trait than experience in a president. While running
for the Senate in October 2002, Barack Obama delivered a remarkable speech on 2 October 2002 at the Federal Plaza in Chicago, just nine days
prior to that historic and ill-fated Senate vote which passed IWR. Here is but a sample of what Obama said:

I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt
by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down
our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.

What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a
drop in the median income, to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the
Great Depression.

That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.

Complete speech: http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/warspeech.pdf

Fired Up! Ready To Go! Gobama!! :applause: