Good writing and painting always leave something to the imagination so that each visit allows the visitor to complete the work of art in a new way.

But isn’t this the heart of the Obama campaign? Leaving most of the details to be filled in by the audience? He is for “hope” and “change” and other vague concepts, but when asked what specific sort of change he’s proposing, “we are the change we’ve been waiting for” is about as specific as he wants to get. Like an author, he sketches a nebulous framework and lets the audience project their own dreams onto it. He’s for whatever they are for. He’s pretty good at inducing projection among his followers.

But part of his recent breakdown is that you can’t keep up the vague sketches forever. Eventually, the author has to fill in his own details if he keeps mining the same vein. Once you fill in the details, some of the audience does like what it’s reading.