Even Bob Herbert!

Even Bob Herbert of the Times can concede the obvious regarding the issues swirling in the Democratic steel cage death match campaign (emphasis added):

Senator Obama, for his part, seems to have lost sight of the unifying message that proved so compelling early in his campaign and has stumbled into weird cultural predicaments that have caused some people to rethink his candidacy.

While some of those predicaments raise legitimate concerns (his former pastor, his comments in San Francisco) and some do not (stupid questions about wearing a flag pin), he has allowed them to fester unnecessarily. The way for a candidate to eventually change the subject is to offer policy prescriptions so creative and compelling that they generate excitement among the electorate and can’t be ignored by the press.

Voters want more from Senator Obama. He’s given a series of wonderful speeches, but he has to add more meat to those rhetorical bones. He needs to be clear about where he wants to lead this country and how he plans to do it. That’s how a candidate defines himself or herself.

Instead, Mr. Obama is allowing the Clintons and the news media to craft a damaging persona of him as some kind of weak-kneed brother from another planet, out of touch with mainstream America, and perhaps a loser.

Wednesday night’s debate in Philadelphia may have been a sorry exercise in journalism, but even many of Senator Obama’s own supporters were disappointed with his lackluster performance.

Wow.  Obama has been thumped recently by MoDo, Brooks, Krugman, and now Herbert.  OK, MoDo is insane, Brooks is a righty, and Krugman has been pushing Hillarity's health care plan for months, but what is Herbert's excuse?

I am troubled that Obama is not sweeping the Times editorial board.  How dare they be distracted from the real issue, which is America's yearning for hope.  And change, too.

Comments

[JB]

"Weak-kneed brother from another planet."

I'm surprised it has taken this long for the Barack's A Pussy meme to get off the ground. It's an excellent neutralizer to the McCain's Got a Temper meme.

[windansea]

Imus called Obama a pussy the other day

[clarice]

Ooooo oooo Wait till Michelle hears that. She'll really have a conniption fit.

[DebinNC]

NYT article about Hillary and Obama campaigning in PA today. She seems like a fighter talking about the issues, and he seems like a vacuous SNL replica saying "change" every other word. Her themesong is "Rocky" and his is "The Rising".. which seems to allude to Jesus' resurrection. That's carrying the Obamessiah meme a bit too far.

[Danube of Thought]

"...the unifying message that proved so compelling early in his campaign" can't stand the light of day now that we are coming to know the man. And it's just starting.

[Jane]

Not to mention the "Judgment" theme, which has pretty much been shot to hell.

[Sara]

Obama is allowing the Clintons and the news media to craft a damaging persona of him

Seems Obama is doing a pretty good job of damaging his own persona without the help of either Clinton or the media.

I read this morning somewhere that his campaign says that all the uproar over "these issues" (meaning the God, guns, small town bitter) proves Obama was right and that he hit a nerve, else why would "they" be upset. Obama/his campaign just do not get it and it is the not getting it that is doing the damage.

[Ranger]

Funny you mentioned Imus. It is interesting to compare Obama's take on one thing Imus said on the air. Even after Imus appologised, Obama said he would have fired the man for that one statment if he worked for him. Compare that to Ayers, who didn't just say something mean, but actively tried to kill people and has specificly refused to say he is sorry. Obama not only continued to be friends with him, but worked with him on the Woods Foundation board. But I guess what Imus did was so much worse in Obama's view.

[Pofarmer]

Obama/his campaign just do not get it and it is the not getting it that is doing the damage.

Well, here's a toast to them continuing to not get it. Cheers!!!!

[David]

I think that the NY TIMES editorial board is bitterly clinging to their stock options, word processors and appearances on talking head shows, and vainly hoping that by playing both ends against the middle (Middle of what? We don't know!) that somehow their readership and advertising revenues will rise again for the TIMES, renewing their hope of a continued Upper West side of Manhatten existence.

[Damon]

Mr. Obama,

According to your family geneology you are 50% White, 43.75% Arab and 6.25% African American.

Why do you deny your Arab ancestory? Denying an important part of who you are is a put down of Arab Americans who love this country.

[Elliott]

Not to mention the "Judgment" theme, which has pretty much been shot to hell.

Blessed are those found righteous in The Lost Judgment. For they shall be cabineted.