Jimmy and Barack

After ranting about our current sucker-up-in-chief, I found myself thinking about Jimmy Carter.

I liked him when he was in office, and I like him now -- yet I have to admit that the overall impression of him was a bright, focused guy who wasn't very effective in getting things done. His image is forever blurred in my mind with the Iranian hostage-taking (not his fault, though as they say, it, and the failure to respond effectively, happened on his watch) and with the first series of gasoline crunches. I think of him sitting in the Oval Office, wearing a sweater, talking earnestly about the need for conservation, and the Moral Equivalent of War (I was delighted when people pointed out what acronym that made). The image was of someone who was hobbling along, stiff upper lip and all that, doing their best while being beset by the calamities of life rather than doing what we expect out of a president, which is to make things happen -- preferably good things, but sometimes, just things. (I do truly believe that we're more likely to support a president who seems to us to be someone who a) can't be pushed around and b) is willing to push others around. We like that, and we usually don't care too terribly much about any associated moral judgements. Don't tread on us. ) Carter didn't give that impression. Instead, he 'felt like' a nice guy who cared a lot about how things looked, worried about details, was overwhelmed by events, and was unable to deal with duplicitous people on the one hand and demanding politicians on the other (sometimes, those were the same people).

I think that a willingness to drop civility and be the eight hundred pound gorilla is what McCain brings to the table as his personal style. The lack of that as a routine style is what I like about Obama. I also like finding out that maybe he can push people around, won't necessarily take whatever slime people want to deliver - for example, his reaction to Bush's nasty comments while in Israel. (I've heard this forceful reaction cited as an example of how the Democrats will react rapidly to any swift-boat attempts in the coming election.) Blending intelligence and civility with the occasional muscular and even brutal response is something that Carter apparently found difficult to do -- and its part of what people don't trust, I think, about Obama - at least, those who aren't just reacting viscerally. They're not sure he can make things happen, push people around. To be honest, I think it more likely that McCain, or even Clinton, will kick ass and take names, when needed, than Obama will. I think its his single biggest weakness.

But I suspect he's working on it.