News From 2007

In the Financial Times, Clive Crook explains, “Why Obama’s left leaning is no tactical feint.”

Gosh, who knew–other than at least 2/3rds of the voters? (There were 47 percent or so who voted for McCain/Palin, and then there had to be a fair chunk of Democratic voters who knew Obama’s ideology and were pretty cool with it, ever since he emerged from the Cook County machine.)

Outside of undecided voters, who don’t follow presidential races until about the time of the World Series, and then vote more for personality than politics, it was really only the mandarins at the New York Times and the more renegade elements of the National Topsider who were kidding themselves. (And apparently, still are.)

Though I wouldn’t go as far as calling Obama “the Manchurian Candidate”–Lawrence Harvey’s character was captured and reprogrammed by the Eastern Bloc against his will; Obama has consistently and voluntarily swung to the left throughout his adult life.