Are Barack Obama's Fifteen Minutes Up?

The honeymoon is over for Barack Obama, and he has no one to blame but himself. By trying to be all things to all people, he turned himself into a political Frankenstein, providing a little something to everyone, but not quite a coherent sum of his parts. Some appear mismatched, and he never seemed comfortable in his own skin. Eventually, you got the feeling he was not fully in control of himself, and someone else was pulling the strings.

Problem #1: Obama has no emotion. On the kind side, he is like Hymie the Robot from Get Smart (compare the voices of the two, they are nearly identical in tone and cadence), a lumbering lug who seemed out of place wherever he is. On the extreme side, he is Frankenstein, who lacks the personality and social skills to relate to people. Eventually, he groans and wanders off into the countryside.

Obama has good reason to show little emotion. He is running against Hillary Clinton, who is also charisma-deprived, but makes up for it by raising her voice to make a point, shrieking like a bat. Obama has to be the counter to that. He also knows the last Democratic front runner to get emotional: Howard Dean. It is a characterization that scares many voters, that just beneath the surface, Democrats are raving lunatics who may lose it at any time. They still wonder "We almost elected that?" and see Conan O' Brian showing the head of Hillary Clinton split open to see Satan emerge from inside. Outrageous? Of course, but it does tap into a real concern voters have that there is something seriously wrong with the woman and Democrats in general.

Problem #2: Obama has yet to convince voters he has the gravitas to be Commander-in-Chief. He has made numerous statements that demonstrate either a complete ignorance of foreign policy or the possibility that those who are advising him on military matters are not up to the task. On the one hand, he has criticized the American troops in Iraq and considers himelf anti-war, yet has proposed invading Pakistan, one of our few mideast allies actively trying to find Osama Bin Laden. Pakistan also has a nuclear arsenal (thanks to their ongoing conflict with India). Invading the country could cause radical elements to seize power and use the nukes on our forces. Never mind his random "we shouldn't fight here, but we should fight here" approach to the War on Terror.

Worse yet, Obama is willing to lower the stature of President to that of a messenger boy. Without requiring them to make any concessions to show good faith, he is willing to meet with any and every country we are either at war or in a political crisis with. By meeting with any crazed dictator or radical anti-American leader, Obama would personally place himself, and the Office of President, in the position of being publicly insulted or ridiculed, something people like Chavez or Ahmadinejad ultimately want more than anything.

Problem #3: He still hides his Muslim background. He dismisses his upbringing in a Muslim school, but as Americans learn of the anti-American lessons that dominate the atmosphere of these schools, his silence on the subject worries many. He has yet to decry those radical teachings of Islam and deny any belief in them. You think Democrats themselves aren't worried? Ted Kennedy himself referred to Barack as "Osama" on the floor of the Senate. Look it up on YouTube.

Without Obama, the choices for Democrats shrink quite a bit. Kucinich the Hobbit is unelectable; "Pretty Boy" Edwards, with his expensive haircuts and big-money lawyer background, will not hold up under the direct spotlight. That leaves Hillary. Not much of a choice. Who do you support: Frankenstein, or the unblinking Bride?

In the final analysis, Obama has not endeared himself to anyone, and instead of appearing as an outsider ready to make a change in Washington, he comes across as someone ready to compromise. A typical political insider. A sell-out. That is the greatest political sin of all.