Will Obama have a credibility problem by November?
Karl Rove’s interview with GQ is well worth reading to get an insight into where Republicans think Obama is vulnerable. But what struck me was this section where Rove talks about challenging Obama about an inaccuracy in Obama’s book: “I'm actually in his book. He wrote that "people like Newt Gingrich, Tom Delay, Ralph Reed, and Karl Rove say we are a Christian nation." And I did not say that. I confronted him about it. At the White House.
And what did he say?
Well, first he denied that I was in the book! And then he denied that it said that I said that it was a Christian nation. And then when I pulled out the thing [he had a copy of the offensive page with him] and showed it to him, he sort of blah-blah-blah-blah-blah- blah-blah. And I thought, That's who he is. I mean, look, he may claim that he's for a different kind of politics, but that was a cheap shot.” Now, you might say that Rove would say this wouldn’t he. But it does seem to fit a bit of a pattern. Obama says that a survey doesn’t reflect his views as a staffer filled it in, only for it to turn out that there are handwritten notes by Obama on the form. While his answers about what he did or didn’t hear his preacher, Rev Wright, say appear to be at odds with each other.
Now, none of this is particularly earth-shattering. But these little incidents will hurt Obama more as he has presented himself as a different politician, someone who doesn’t do this kind of thing. As Rove notes in the interview, every time Obama behaves just like another politician he sullies his image and diminishes his appeal.