Obama-neutral

I can't get worked up about a potential Barack Obama presidential campaign. I love the man's charisma, I really do, but I suppose my own pro-Hillary bias could only get him to my second-choice candidate at best. Since I don't live in America, it figures that I'll have no say in choosing who gets to run, but when has that stopped me running my mouth off before?

It just seems that politically, he's had it way too easy so far. His impressive public persona is such that it seems to divert attention from his actual policies. Not to mention that he's been in his Senate position for about a year, not exactly a seasoned warrior. I know that can be a boost, being fresh and untainted in the way that other candidates might envy. But he remains a largely unknown quantity, though his books seem both frank and honest. Still, he and his family haven't undergone the scrutiny of other major players on the US political stage, and while there might be nothing much there to uncover, there has to at least be some reservation.

Not that a young and vibrant candidate is a bad thing, but in a country that can elect Bush to two terms, can you really rely on the shake-up factor? After essentially leaving a monkey at the controls for eight years, mightn't America reach out for some gravitas, a slightly more elder statesman? There is something Clinton-esque about Obama, and I certainly mean that as a compliment, but can he really distinguish himself from that comparison?

I keep my fingers crossed that the issue of race won't be dwelled upon, but until there is a black President (or a female one for that matter) it's going to be a 'controversial' talking point throughout the campaigns.

I'll be flying the flag for Hillary regardless, and hope in the meantime that there isn't a shameful burst of Democrat infighting to spoil the chances for whoever does eventually run.