Big October Surprise a Done Deal Already?

Barack Hussein Obama and his campaign have been behaving for quite some time as if he's a shoo-in for the presidency, if not virtually president already.

Why?

According to the latest Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll, the race between Obama and McCain is a virtual tie right now — even after (or is that because of?) Obama's triumphalistic world tour during which people had to actually be reminded that Obama is not the president:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows the race for the White House is tied with Barack Obama and John McCain each attracting 44% of the vote. However, when "leaners" are included, it’s McCain 47% and Obama 46%.

.... A week ago today, Obama had a three-percentage point lead and the candidates were even among unaffiliated voters. Today, McCain leads 52% to 37% among unaffiliateds.

McCain is currently viewed favorably by 55% of the nation’s voters, Obama by 51%. That is the lowest rating for Obama since he wrapped up the nomination. Obama is viewed favorably by 83% of Democrats, 22% of Republicans, and 47% of unaffiliated voters. For McCain, the numbers are 87% favorable among Republicans, 26% among Democrats, and 61% among unaffiliated voters....

So, why does it seem that Obama believes it's all over but the shouting? And that he is simply going to be the next President of the United States of America?

Is it because he's an egomaniac that can't see anything that doesn't appeal to his hubris? Maybe. But would that apply to his entire campaign staff? I doubt it.

Maybe it's not pride, or presumption, or blindness. Maybe it's knowledge.

Did you know that Obama won his first election to the Illinois legislature because he knocked all the other candidates off the primary ballot, ensuring him a win in the general election in his heavily Democratic district? And did you know that he won his U.S. senatorial election because the incumbent Republican withdrew from the race over a sex scandal related to his divorce?

IOW, Obama hasn't gotten into his offices by squarely winning a fair election. Do you think he might like to continue that pattern?

Do you think he and his campaign might already know something that will come to light... say some time in October... that will effectively knock McCain out of the running?

[Follow-up: Is ACORN the Answer?]

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Mon. 08/04/08 07:40:15 PM
Categorized as Political.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, RIP

The great Russian writer died yesterday.

.... Thirty years ago (June 8, 1978), he delivered a famous commencement address at Harvard:

.... A decline in courage may be the most striking feature that an outside observer notices in the West today. The Western world has lost its civic courage, both as a whole and separately, in each country, in each government, in each political party, and, of course, in the United Nations. Such a decline in courage is particularly noticeable among the ruling and intellectual elites, causing an impression of a loss of courage by the entire society. There are many courageous individuals, but they have no determining influence on public life.

Political and intellectual functionaries exhibit this depression, passivity, and perplexity in their actions and in their statements, and even more so in their self-serving rationales as to how realistic, reasonable, and intellectually and even morally justified it is to base state policies on weakness and cowardice. And the decline in courage, at times attaining what could be termed a lack of manhood, is ironically emphasized by occasional outbursts and inflexibility on the part of those same functionaries when dealing with weak governments and with countries that lack support, or with doomed currents which clearly cannot offer resistance. But they get tongue-tied and paralyzed when they deal with powerful governments and threatening forces, with aggressors and international terrorists.

Must one point out that from ancient times a decline in courage has been considered the first symptom of the end?...

Unfortunately, it hardly needs to be said that his bold observations still apply, perhaps now more than ever.

Requiescat in pace.

See also "A World Split Apart": Twenty-Fifth Anniversary.

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Mon. 08/04/08 06:39:59 PM
Categorized as International & Literary.