The following is an excerpt from OpinionJournal.com’s “Best of the Web” written by the editor, James Taranto.
Obama Heats Up the Globe
The New York Times Co. is threatening to shut down the Boston Globe and deprive the world of its hard-hitting brand of journalism. An example of what would be lost is a column by Peter S. Canellos, the paper’s Washington bureau chief, titled “In a Stroke of Brilliance, Obama Defies Easy Caricature”:
Clinton went on to tell lies. George W. Bush failed to think through his policies. “Tricky Dick” Nixon engaged in a real-world conspiracy. And Ronald Reagan, whose genial, grandfatherly manner could be reassuring, failed to pay enough attention to his aides’ machinations in what became the Iran-contra scandal.
So what’s Barack Obama’s line? There isn’t one yet, and that by itself could become his line. . . .
Obama should be able to continue to float above the fray–defying those who want to laugh with him, or at him–as long as he can maintain his air of persistence.
The president’s genius so far has been in casting his program as a pragmatic response to current emergencies and longer-term threats. His calm, serious manner, magnified by his intelligence and command over the issues, reinforces the perception of a diligent public servant at work.
Canellos acknowledges that the president has “come off, at times, as a bit pompous and humorless.” But as it says in the Bible (or was that Shakespeare?), it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way.
For more “Best of the Web” click here and look for the “Best of the Web Today” link in the middle column below “Today’s Columnists.
