Obamamania

Two thoughts about Senator Obama.

First, he has the look of a future President, the brains of a future President, the idealism of a future President, the talent of a future President, the charisma of a future President, he may well deserve to be a future President, and he may be a future President.

Second, Senator Obama may be the least qualified person in the history of national politics to have his name mentioned as a future President for an election coming in two years, because he has credible national experience for a period measured barely in months.

Senator Obama has close to zero national security experience, close to zero national defense and foreign policy experience, close to zero national political experience, close to zero national legislative experience and close to zero experience being tested in the crucible of brutal national politics.

It is not his fault; it just is.

A word to the wise: the bigger they are, in the eyes of the national media, the harder they fall, in the eyes of the national media.

A suggestion: the smartest and most brilliant move Senator Obama could make, is withdraw his name from consideration for President in 2008, fairly soon. This would skyrocket his national reputation, credibility and stature in ways that would skyrocket his potential for becoming President, because it would be based on a wise act, not a media and political fad.

A prediction: that is exactly what he will do, because I suspect he does have the judgment and temperament to someday be president, and is smart enough to know, that which the media builds up, the media will crash down.

This goes to a larger question, the shallowness of American politics, and American media coverage of American politics. The idea that someone is "new" becomes the fad of the month, no matter that commander in chief experience is a preeminent quality needed for our next commander in chief.

Obamamania is a rejection of the political status quo, a time in our history where our political system is in near universal disrepute among our people, when a President reaches disastrous levels of unpopularity, when a Congress drenched in corruption reaches disastrous levels of unpopularity, when the Republican Party is widely seen as fossilized and corrupt while, in truth, the Democratic Party is not perceived as much better and prays to finally be elected as the party of default.

The American people are genuinely concerned about the future of our country, yet they turn on the television sets and watch commercials that are nothing more than a sickening and depressing spectacle of one party of politicians spitting venom and dirt against the other party of politicians.

Obamamania is a refreshing story of a United States Senator who is a breath of fresh air, uncorrupted by the process, full of idealism and intelligence, articulate, uplifing, and a man who may well be our President and may well deserve to be our President, someday.

He is that good.

He has that much promise.

But 2008 is not his year.

My hope and prediction: he is wise enough to know that, and if he is, and takes himself out for 2008, Obamamania will grow greater than ever, but for the right reasons.

Meanwhile, voter rolls in Ohio are now being purged, letters are arriving to hispanics in California threatening them if they vote, Maryland has witnessed major problems with voting machines, and voting problems, fixes, and irregulaties create the probability of crisis and chaos on election day.

A subject Senator Obama would do well to champion with the heights of his eloquence.

A subject Democratic Leaders would do well to fight far more aggressively in the coming days.

A subject far more important than the fresh face fad of the month.

A subject I will return to soon, in brutal fashion because time is short, the danger is real, and Democrats have still not learned the lessons of 2000, 2002, and 2004.