Obama is no Colin Powell

I am still not sure why anyone's so excited about Sen. Barack Obama--perhaps it is a reflection of discomfort with Edwards and Hillary.

But I have to disagree with the thesis of this Dick Morris and Eileen McGann op/ed (via VolunteerVoters.com via straighttalkalabama.com). For the record, I think Morris is a master marketer but he is often too cute by half in his assertions that politics is a solvable puzzle or anything near a science.

Morris asserts that Hillary ought to be thankful for Obama's presence in the Dem primary because Obama clears the playing field of other candidates even though he'll never be able to beat Hillary. As evidence, Morris points to Colin Powell's potential candidacy in 1996. While I agree that Powell and Obama were similar inasmuch as they were attractive, projectionable figures, but Barack Obama has nowhere near the creds of Colin Powell.

Morris states, "Having the right opponent is one of the essentials to electoral success.” Of course “the right opponent” (a loser) is the key in any campaign, but I don’t see the legitimacy of any substantive comparisons between Powell and Obama, nor Dole and Hillary; and Powell’s purportedly long shadow didn’t keep Phil Gramm from raising $20m prior to Jan 1, 1995.

I do think Hillary can be thankful that Obama is keeping her from being under the magnifying glass at least for now.