It was inevitable that the pundits would weigh the "risks" and "benefits" of Obama taking time out to visit his gravely ill grandmother. Liz Robbins, on the New York Times blog "The Caucus," sets the right tone for such commentaries. It is a legitimate topic, but don't be surprised if McCain campaign surrogates label it an election stunt. Here is a good answer to that in advance, cited by Robbins:Though cynical observers will be inclined to think that Mr. Obama is using the visit to engender voter sympathy, Ross Baker, a professor of political science at Rutgers, believes that is anything but the case.
“This is an individual whose influence was much greater on him than his mother,” Mr. Ross said in a telephone interview, referring to Mr. Obama and Ms. Dunham. “I read his two books and I got the audio books. You don’t get the incredible emotional tinge without such deep feelings.
“I think that perhaps inadvertently, and perhaps tragically, this is showing a side of him that even the best and most eloquent presentations of himself can’t achieve. This is no stunt. This is the act of a loving grandchild.”Photo: Obama for America via AP
Gag me with a spoon department: Just surfacing from a deadline with just enough energy to say how unbelievable it is that they would send Sarah Palin out to attack Obama for his lack of experience (re Biden's remarks that the new president would face a crisis within six months.)
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The Management.