@ James @ 6 September, 4:22 AM

You very cogently note Obama’s strengths and weaknesses. I would add one more major weakness: Obama’s close connections over the long years with the far Left and its radicals. We all know the litany by now (though, Heaven knows, not from much of the MSM): the many connections with Communist groups or individuals throughout his life, starting with his mentor/father figure, Frank Marshall Davis, and on to more radical connections, Wright, Pfleger, Ayers, Rezko, Khalidi, etc. There is only one MSM publication (that I know of anyway) that has looked deeply into all of this: Investor’s Business Daily’s Editorial Page. Hats off to them! They’ve done an excellent series of more than a dozen articles about Obama, The Audacity of Socialism, that is a must read.