Obama: Pride and Presidents

Tony Blankley's column today, "He Is Who He Is," is a devastating commentary on Senator Obama's overweening pride:

"Here is a man who talked almost contemptuously of Gen. Petraeus. Explaining His differences with the general, He said that His "job is to think about the national security interest as a whole; (the generals') job is just to get their job done (in Iraq)." Of course, right at the moment, the junior senator from Illinois doesn't yet have "His" job, while Gen. Petraeus, as confirmed Centcom commander, has direct responsibility for both Afghanistan and Iraq and everything in between and around them. But in the mind of Sen. I Am, He already is, while He thinks the man who is perhaps our greatest general in two generations is just another flunky carrying out routine orders. It is repulsive to see such a mentality in a man who would be president."

Unfortunately, the odds are that Obama will in fact be our next president. I am worried for the country.

Meanwhile, Robert Samuelson reviews a new book by Bill Bishop, "The Big Sort: Why The Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart," and offers some excellent insights, including this one:

What Arthur Schlesinger Jr. called "the vital center" is being slowly disenfranchised. Party "bases" become more important than their numbers justify. Passionate partisans dislike compromise and consensus. They want to demolish the other side. Whether from left or right, the danger is a tyranny of true believers.

Please read the whole thing.