PREZ08, Obama forms exploratory committee

I'm skeptical about a main portion of Obama's message.

But challenging as they are, it's not the magnitude of our problems that concerns me the most. It's the smallness of our politics. America's faced big problems before. But today, our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, common sense way. Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can't tackle the big problems that demand solutions.

And that's what we have to change first.

We have to change our politics, and come together around our common interests and concerns as Americans.

This won't happen by itself. A change in our politics can only come from you; from people across our country who believe there's a better way and are willing to work for it.

The government is big business. If people will fight bitterly over control of District 209 (Proviso Township High Schools) with a budget of $60-70 million, why wouldn't they fight that much more over control of the federal government?

And people who stand to make money or lose money are going to invest in the process. The most reliable way to get money and interest groups out of politics is to shrink the government so small it's irrelevant.

I kinda feel Obama is trying to be appealing rather than providing a specific diagnosis. This is good politics. Obama can't govern if he doesn't get elected. And people don't want to hear a detailed analysis of the problems. They want somebody they feel they can connect with and trust.

I'm hoping that Obama's judgment will shine if and when he gets elected President of the United States. The next President is going to have to make some tough calls.