Honesty is attractive

I was at an Obama supporter meeting last week in Olympia.  A lifetime republican who is a veteran of the Iraq war, stood up at one point and spoke of his attraction to Obama.  This young man told of how he had been given the book Audacity of Hope by another lifetime republican friend of the family.  He expressed that Obama seemed clearly sincere and honest.

 At another Obama supporters meeting I was at, a lady stood up and said that she was a hard left liberal and considered mainstream democrats to be too right wing for her.  She said she disagreed with Obama on many issues that he was not "left enough" for her.  Yet, she said she supported Obama wholeheartedly, because... she could just tell that he would lead with a true moral compass and base his decisions pragmatically for the good of the country.  She was fine with him not always legislating in her favor, provided that his motives were pure and reasoned.

 In Obama's first book, Dreams of My Father, Barack openly and honestly mentions youthful downfalls that many modern youths participate in.  To be frank, he "inhaled".  When Bill Clinton said "I didn't inhale", nobody, but nobody believed him.  Some probably voted for him because he seemed "hip".  When Bill said "I didn't have sexual relations with that woman", this was not the first sex scandal for Bill.  When George W Bush was asked about his youthful refusal to take a "medical exam" (ie urine test)  during his Air Guard absences, and when Bush was asked point blank about accusations of cocaine use, he refused to comment.  He refused to formally say "I didn't have relations with that drug".

Obama is forthcoming.  Obama has a good life now with 20 years at the same church and a solid marriage and family life.  He openly admits when he is wrong, and changes course for the better.  He doesn't doubletalk.

If president Obama were to say "I am saddened, but it is necessary for us to bomb the Philipines", Americans could take his word for it, because he has no track record of the deception so common among politicians.

Refreshing, no ?