Ganging Up

Or maybe, as Rich Lowry, this is some sort of literary exercise?

"So far, what Obama seems set to get out of his presidential campaign is yet another memoir -- this one an agonized, deeply personal account of how his campaign went nowhere despite all the media hoopla, crowds, and fundraising. It turns out that voters aren't as interested in Barack Obama as Barack Obama is.

"Like Jacob grappling with the angel, Obama, Obama has been wrestling with his own conscience the entire campaign and has come up lame. He has engaged in a running commentary on whether the tactics of his own campaign -- down to specific press releases -- live up to his standard of audacious hopefulness. Left unclear is why anyone else besides Barack Obama should care. The insular, self-obsessed campaign of her chief rival is one of the reasons Hillary Clinton has had as good a 90-day run as anyone in presidential politics in recent memory . . .

"All year, Obama has offered voters airy clich¿s about hope, change and bipartisanship, and assurances that he personally embodies all of the above . . .

"Obama likely will go the way of that other earnest liberal, Bill Bradley, who high-mindedly let himself be run over by Al Gore in 2000. Oh, well. It'll be a great book."

Obama has also been bashed for appearing with a previously gay singer who aims to cure people of homosexuality. Americablog's John Aravosis is particularly appalled:

"Obama keeps making clear that he hasn't learned his lesson, he doesn't understand what he did wrong, and he will continue to coddle those who attack our community so long as it wins him votes and money. His own staff admitted as much to the Washington Post:

" Aid es to Barack Obama's who are concerned about his fortunes nationally cast his decision not to kick Donnie McClurkin off the program of a gospel concert the campaign was hosting as a principled decision, part of the Illinois senator's constant rhetoric of bringing people together even if they disagree. Aides in South Carolina cited a more obvious consideration: despite the singer's controversial comments in the past about homosexuality, which he has likened to a 'curse' and said is a choice, he would be a big draw.

"So how many votes and how much money is a bashed gay worth to Senator Obama?"

Kos sounds fed up as well:

"Obama and his campaign have had a bad week. The worst I have seen from any candidate this presidential cycle. A candidate whose entire rationale for running was to elevate the discourse, unite our country, and end the politics of division has just been exposed as cynical and clueless, embracing some of the worst hatred and divisiveness in our society today.

"And at a time when he's trying to make an issue of Hillary's 'judgment' on Iraq and now Iran, he's shown little judgment in pretending that a rabidly anti-gay gospel singer wouldn't use his microphone on the big stage (with the national media paying attention) to, well, spread his rabidly anti-gay gospel."