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Journalism of Courage
This is not a story about the presidential horse race. It8217;s not about the policy positions of a freshman senator and candidate for national office. It8217;s about the enduring character of a boy and a young man, and how that character has emerged in adulthood.
Obama8217;s good looks and soft-spoken willingness to ponder aloud some of the inanities of modern politics have masked the hard inner core and unyielding ambition that have long burned beneath the surface shimmer. He is not, and never has been, soft. He8217;s not laid-back. He8217;s not an accidental man. His friends and family may be surprised by the rapidity of his rise, but they8217;re not surprised by the fact of it.
As the presidential campaign whirls through the front-loaded primary season, Obama8217;s character has been under high magnification. The main point of attack is that he is not 8220;tough enough8221; or experienced enough; New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd titled a column about him 8220;The 46-Year-Old Virgin.8221; Hillary Clinton has openly encouraged this derisive assessment for many months. At the same time, coming across as too tough and gritty-too skilled at the sharp-elbowed arts of politics-will undermine the very qualities that make Obama attractive in the first place.
8220;This campaign cannot be about me,8221; Obama told a cheering crowd in Chicago on the weekend he declared his candidacy, a year ago. 8220;I am an imperfect vessel for your hopes and dreams.8221; But, for better or worse, his own campaign is all about him and the compelling idea he embodies.
Excerpted from Todd Purdum8217;s 8216;Raising Obama8217; in the February issue of Vanity Fair
