I'm having some trouble getting a handle on Obama. The repetition of the word "change" won't guarantee change, and he's going to need a seasoned old DC person to help him navigate if he's elected President - he's going to play with the big boys then and change won't be so effortless as just saying it. So I'm not at all sure how effective he'll be in whatever change he's calling for.

I listen to his speeches on C-Span and it all seems like pie in the sky to me, with a lot of calls for a more paternalistic state anyhow (something I dislike regardless) and a ton of "change and hope" tossed in by an effective speaker, and I just feel it's all sort of.. gauzy.

Unlike most people, I think a more seasoned Republican would make hash of Obama later in debates and during the campaign, when Obama is going to be nailed to all sorts of positions that will make Americans think of both safety and their wallets, and then it won't be so effortless.

Kind of looking forward to it, I want to see the Republican get nailed too. I want a lot more specifics and actual animosity in the race to bring out truths about these people, because right now they all seem to be getting a bit of a ride.

But I think Obama is an incredibly good speaker, I don't see him fumbling at all with his words or hemming and hawing a lot.