"This last question I will prompt myself, and that's, 'Why you instead of Hillary?'" Obama said during a supporter's house party this week. "That's in the back of minds of a lot of people."
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- Does he have the experience and judgment to be commander in chief after less than three years in the Senate and eight years in the Illinois Legislature? Obama argued that experience doesn't equate with great leadership, pointing out that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney had long resumes but led the country into Iraq.
- Is he tough enough to beat Clinton in the primary and the Republicans in the general election? Obama said even though he stands for unity and the end of personal attack politics, he will swiftly and strongly defend himself from his critics.
- Can he win a nationwide election? While some have expressed doubts about whether the country is ready for a black president, Obama argued that his race would be an asset because it would increase black voter turnout enough to give a Democratic victory in reliably Republican Southern states.
He also said young voter participation would leap. "I think I can bring cool back to the federal government," he said in Concord, the last of five events Monday.
"My biggest weakness in the general election," Obama offered, "is the same as in the primary election, which is: Hasn't been on the national stage that long. We're not sure if he's tough enough.
"Let me tell you, if I beat the Clintons, folks aren't going to ask whether I'm tough enough," he said to laughter and clapping from the crowd. But it didn't end the skepticism.
"I would agree with you that experience doesn't affect wisdom - we do know that," responded a woman who was among about 75 squeezed into a home. "But by any stretch of the imagination, it would be a leap of faith to vote for you just because of the lack of years of experience."
She asked how he would choose the staff and advisers who would help him make decisions. Obama answered that he would surround himself with competent people with integrity and independence - like Abraham Lincoln, he said. He pointed out that Lincoln also was a former Illinois legislator who faced great skepticism about his experience. "I guess that was a leap of faith, too," Obama said.
More here:
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20070823/APP/708230772Is he ready? We all know he is.
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