President needs to stiffen spine

[CHIMO]

The beaming face of Barack Obama – whether surveying adoring fans on Parliament Hill or bestowing on Ottawa shopgirls an experience they can dine out on for the rest of their lives – was oddly reminiscent of Hugh Hefner's line about feeling like a kid in the world's biggest candy store.

Ottawa may seem more like Canadian Tire than a candy store, but one could well imagine Obama thinking: And they pay me for doing this?

Obama clearly loves the crowds, which is not surprising since he came to power riding a wave of popular support. He's methodically cultivated that, with personal charisma but also with a populist message that's resonated with tens of millions of people, including here in Canada. He's talked of "spreading the wealth," about reviving worker and labour rights and about a "common good."

It's hard to imagine the smiling guy who bought Beavertails in Bytown last week welcoming anyone's hatred. But then, give him time. He's only a few weeks into the job.

http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/591942#

[bertman]

1. Recommend. Good column. Thanks for posting it, CHIMO.

[BlooInBloo]

2. "...suggests there may be a courage problem.". More "obambi" bullshit.

[bemildred]

3. Oh bullshit.

He is President of the USA, nobody gets there without some sort of balls. To pretend now that he is some sort of fatuous schoolgirl is just bullshit. Would these maroons have wrote anything of the sort about Bush, who is a complete Rube compared to Obama?