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>>>>Of course it is historic that someone has been elected who is only 50% Caucasian but that will quickly fade in uniqueness with Kennedy's Catholicism ( which was no more determinative of JFKs world-view than Obama's father's origin is of his)
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>>>>There will definitely be a swing to the left, but more because of the Congress than the President. The reality of the office is that his most vicious attacks will come from his left.
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>>>>It will also be interesting to see the messages Obama sends to various 'oppressed' groups and their reactions to them. That he sat so quietly listening to Wright says more about his ambition and his self-control than his sympathies. Now it is going to get interesting to see how this son of an African absentee father and a loving white mother and grandmother expresses his opinions on identity politics.
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>>>I don't really understand why it is so intersting. Do you imply that you have never seen it before so you don't know how it will go, therefore whatever comes is already good as a fresh experience?
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>>We haven't seen this confluence of factors before. There are parts of it I don't find attractive at all but I do notice most of my antipathy toward Obama is not so much toward the candidate as much as his allies and supporters ( I have difficulty believing anything that would please Michael Moore or Moveon.org could be a good thing )
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>>I think there will be a degree of schadenfreude in watching the Loonies of the Left find out that in office Obama will be required to exercise his executive functions - including those based on national security concerns - rather than cater to their fnatasies. Sort of like watching Cindy Sheehan go after Nancy Pelosi.
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>>I do not fear a particular government as much as I fear a particular size of government and the expectations of the individual that it has magical powers to defy the laws of nature and do for them what they should be doing for themselves and their fellows. In that respect I will probably be opposed to much of what Obama wants. But then the last 20 years have not exactly been a model of shrinking government or sense of entitlement.
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>I understand your points. At the same time, in regard to 'new' factor, could you see some similarities to 1992 elections?

Yes, but I think Obama is much more personally disciplined, brings less baggage, and has the benefit of Clinton's first two years to learn from. I would guess he will pick his fights carefully and be more apt to make national security a priority. I think he will play the first year as to confound expectations and thereby be able to reframe his public image to give his supporters a dose of realism and to confound his enemies. Perhaps I am just projecting what I would do or advise him to do if that were my position - but given the discipline of his campaign I'd be very surprised if he does something like Clinton's gays-in-the-military or Hillary-healthcare debacle. Whatever Obama does I expect it to be much more carefully crafted and controlled. I don't expect him to self-destruct.