Part of a public figure will always remain a mystery, perhaps even to himself. The relevant question voters must ask themselves is whether they know enough about the essential candidate to understand his core. The advent of the Internet has raised the bar; nobody knew JFK by today’s standards. His public persona was largely contrivance. He was sold on his packaging. What was inside the box was only gradually and posthumously revealed.

To a large extent the public’s knowledge of a candidate largely relies on “social proof”. The fact that he has risen through the system, is the nominee of a major party, and is acceptable to other authority figures are proxies for actual acquaintance. Obama and McCain are “friends of friends”. But like anyone who has bought a used car at a lot, some of the public like to take samples. Flip open the gas cover. Kick the tires. Look at the chassis. A random inspection reveals as much as reaching into an urn of colored balls for a sample. A hairline crack, too many balls of the wrong color, evidence of a re-weld don’t mean much in themselves but they do raise questions. Questions which can only be answered by taking more samples.

Who is Barack Obama? By this stage a lot of the electorate has reached a conclusion. And more are still kicking the tires.