Quote of the day: Barack Obama

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"I mean, we've got to be careful about what we say about each other sometimes, because it boxes us in in ways that makes it difficult for us to work together, because our constituents start believing us. They don't know sometimes this is just politics what you guys -- or folks on my side -- do sometimes.'' — President Obama

Obama's colloquy with the GOP showcased his greatest strength: his ability, by dint of sheer good humor, to make everyone else in the room look like seething red-faced dolts. You have to feel sorry for them. It's got to hurt, hating Obama. He's so goddam reasonable. The effort required to hate him is so great that twists his opponents into caricatures of themselves. They're in agonies of contortion, trying not to acknowledge the eminently sane good-humored man in front of them. That's why following them into their lair was such a stroke of genius. Can you imagine Bush ever doing that? It's unthinkable. He couldn't even take questions from the press, let alone Democrats. But Obama shows up with a smile on his face, a self depracating joke at the ready and the facts at his fingertips and floors them. Why did they allow it to be televised? I guess they thought, reasonably enough, that 150 men could out argue one man.