ISOLATING OBAMA

They did it to Dukakis. They did it to Kerry. They kind of did it to Gore. And now the GOP attack machine is attempting to do the same to Barack Obama. And what is is that they are trying to do? Isolate Obama. Make him seem aloof. Too intellectual. Suave. Sophisticated. French? Well maybe not that far but at least European.

According to MSNBC's Chris Matthews, the election usually boils down to which candidate would you like to go out and have a beer with. What that really means, is which candidate is pretty much blue collar, real American, and not so smart that the average Joe could not relate to him.

What a ridiculous way to screen the candidates for the most important position in the world. We are not voting for American Idol here. We are not looking for a Brett Farve or a John Wayne. We have real problems and need someone serious and quick witted enough to lead us out of our doldrums.

Obama and his wife Michelle do not come from any country club type existence. If you have noticed, they are both African-American. Obama was brought up by a struggling single mom while Michelle's dad was a hard working father who led his family in a no nonsense way towards a lifetime of achievement.

Yet, the GOP attack machine is desperately trying to make the two of them seem like they come from New York's upper east side as children of privilege. The Republicans painted Dukakis as some Greek immigrant running the communist state of Massachusetts. Kerry, a decorated war veteran, had his story so twisted around that one would have thought he was running gunboats for the Viet Cong. Gore's natural interest in the internet and the environment made him some kind of out of control sci-fi freak.

One can only hope that Obama will stand his ground and not give in to all this insanity. Our current president is the one who had all the right cards given to him when he was born. Mr. McCain was an Admiral's son who squandered much of his time at the Naval Academy. Yes, he was heroic asa war prisoner, but when he returned to the states he met another well financed person, his future wife, Cindy, who helped bankroll his electoral aspirations.

We all need to keep our eye on the prize. Things are so bad right now that this election is indeed vitally important. We should rejoice that so many Germans see inspiration in Obama instead of twisting this fact around and making him seem "unAmerican." If Obama could go from the relatively unknown Occidental College and then on to Columbia and then become the head of the Harvard Law Review, this should be something that we all can rejoice about instead of burning with jealousy and putting down these achievements.

I always thought that the American story called for a man or woman to put on their own boots, get over tough obstacles, and become a person who helps with answers instead of being one who feels defeated and is part of the problem. Look, McCain and Obama have varied but incredible resumes and have had successful lives. Whether one is more of a beer man or a wine connoisseur should have no bearing on our votes. I hope we can all drink to that.