But will Mr. Obama fight? His brief time on the national scene gives little comfort. Consider a February 2006 exchange of letters with Mr. McCain on the subject of ethics reform. The wrathful Mr. McCain accused Mr. Obama of being "disingenuous," to which Mr. Obama meekly replied, "The fact that you have now questioned my sincerity and my desire to put aside politics for the public interest is regrettable but does not in any way diminish my deep respect for you." Then McCain said, "Obama wouldn't know the difference between an RPG and a bong."
While I don't think Obama is likely to remain meek and mild, this one exchange doesn't indicate much.
Obama was operating within the nebulous rules of the Senate and decorum, and if his first instinct was to hit back at McCain, his second and third instincts probably conjured up a frown from senior senators, such as Robert Byrd, and from an experienced staffer who might have said "take the hit, because you don't have the seniority."
If Obama plans on winning this thing, he'd better be prepared to leave the decorum of the Senate behind. He'd better be more than willing to stand down any insurgent attacks from the likes of Joe Lieberman as well. Too many people have written off the Clintons, though. I expect them to keep fighting and keep doing whatever they can.
My prediction right now seems to be an Obama-Wesley Clark ticket. Seems to work for me--Clark placates a lot of concerns and gives Clinton a strong link to the ticket.
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