I've reached a point where I've become constitutionally incapable of listening to anythng any politician has to say at this point. talking. Nevertheless, I found myself watching this interview tonight, and It broke through all the sound blockers I've set up. And I found it encouraging for some reason.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just a sucker for refreshingly candid, intelligent, thoughtful answers asked by an intelligent questioner. Compare this interview with anything we've seen in recent years with other pols. Obama's remarkably relaxed and fluent for somebody at the end of a grueling 18-month ordeal.
Anyway, I think this clip is worth watching on its own merits, but also because it reinforces the point I was making in the post earlier this week. You can disagree with him–I disagree with him–but if you're a sane conservative, it's hard to see what's to be afraid of here. The interview starts at about the 3:20 mark.
There's a difference between splitting the difference compromising with people you disagree with and looking for common ground as a place to begin a conversation about where we need to go. Common ground is extraordinarily difficult to find with a rigid ideologue, but you can find it with most normal people whether they self-describe as Republican or Democrat.
Obama has been very lucky that he hasn't had to throw many elbows in this fight, and I think he will have built up a lot more good will and political capital than Bill Clinton had in 1992. He might even get a honeymoon of sorts. There is only so much he will be able to do, but I think I'm encouraged because he seems to have thought out what he wants to do, and I think he has mostly the right ideas. And, yeah, he's probably wrong about Afghanistan, but I'm willing to give him his shot at doing it his way.
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