Caroline Kennedy and Barack Obama and Camelot

Barack Obama seems like a nice enough guy.

I completely disagree with his liberal positions on the issues, but as a person he's likable enough.

Yes, Obama is likable enough.

That said, I see something very disturbing happening with Obama.

He's being elevated to a status that he hasn't earned and he doesn't deserve.

Obama isn't Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

He's not President John F. Kennedy.

But he's being put in their league.

There's this mythologizing going on.

The first big step in that process took place when Oprah dubbed Obama the savior.

Others have jumped on the Obama bandwagon -- celebrities, politicians, pundits, a variety of public figures on the national and local scenes. They all share similar qualities when it comes to their infatuation with Obama.

They're starry-eyed, dewy-eyed.

In my view, they're blind.

Another big endorsement for Obama comes from Caroline Kennedy.

In today's New York Times, she writes:

A President Like My Father

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.

It's huge for the daughter of JFK to compare Obama to her father.

She has passed the torch to him.

She has granted legitimacy to the comparisons of Obama to Kennedy.

If Kennedy's daughter says Obama is like her father, who's going to argue?

Obama may be able to move people, like the gushing Chris Matthews, but does Obama have the leadership, the character, the backbone to handle something like the Cuban Missile Crisis?

I have serious doubts. We don't need a president who can make us feel good. We need a president who can accomplish good things and meet challenges.

She goes on:

...He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.

An ability to inspire young people isn't enough. Movement, shmovement.

Young people may be buying the image of Obama as the next MLK or JFK, but that's all just packaging.

People are in love with the idea of having a great leader, like those of the past.

But a real leader isn't the "next" anyone.

Obama seems to be playing a part, albeit with some success, rather than being an original, the real deal.

...I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

Those are important qualities for a president to have, but being president isn't just about delivering an inspiring speech and lifting people's spirits.

The next president of the United States won't have the luxury of prancing around Camelot, being a motivational speaker.

We have enemies. There are people who want us dead.

Time to get real.

Each evening, from December to December,
Before you drift to sleep upon your cot,
Think back on all the tales that you remember
Of Camelot.
Ask ev'ry person if he's heard the story,
And tell it strong and clear if he has not,
That once there was a fleeting wisp of glory
Called Camelot.
Camelot! Camelot!
Now say it out with pride and joy!

Camelot! Camelot!

Yes, Camelot, my boy!
Where once it never rained till after sundown,
By eight a.m. the morning fog had flown...
Don't let it be forgot
That once there was a spot
For one brief shining moment that was known
As Camelot.

We don't live in Camelot.