Silver-tongued Obama

Obama hits New Hampshire for the first time. NY Times, "selling a message of hope, but proclaiming himself wary of the wave of hype that surrounded his journey here". Really? Well, maybe. Tribune here. Sun Times.

Carol Marin's column yesterday in the Sun Times discusses Obama's potential presidential campaign, citing at least two polls that show Hillary's numbers have gone up, and the changed dynamic once Obama actually announces--more scrutiny, more cynicism.

And also this:

What has set Obama apart from other contenders has been his ability to speak to the "center," to appeal not just to Democrats but even Republicans who are weary of the bitter polarization and fundamentalism that has poisoned our politics. I believe that and am just as susceptible to falling head over heels for this guy as the next weary voter.

But I'm still holding out for a slower, longer courtship. Recent revelations of his bonehead real estate deal with indicted powerbroker Tony Rezko, the Jack Abramoff of Illinois, have proved Obama is just as human as the rest of us when it comes to material matters. And his endorsement of Todd Stroger as a "progressive" force for Cook County government proves that old-fashioned, purely pragmatic political considerations can still trump his vaunted independent values.

Well, Obama may talk centrist, but his voting record is one of the most liberal in Congress. Also here. Democrats may think Obama's short Senate record is an asset, but his liberal record in the Illinois legislature, and here, will also come under scrutiny (hat tip Daily Kos, where one commentator, by the way, compares Obama to Jimmy Carter (!) as also little known at the time, and suggests Obama is "progressives' " Trojan Horse).

And as Marin points out above, some cynicism is already justified--- his real estate deal with Rezko, when, I might add in damning detail, the news at the time was already full of Rezko's dubious other deals. Not only did his endorsement of Todd Stroger in the general election inspire cynicism, but his earlier endorsement of Stroger senior in the primary, when his support might have advanced reformer Forrest Claypool.

Most recent Obama post here.

UPDATE: More Illinois reaction at Rich Miller's Capitol Fax.

UPDATE: Dick Morris, via RCP, says the national press corps may have Obama for breakfast unless he can move beyond "Oprah-level content" on the issues. (maybe he should hire Dick Morris.)

UPDATE: Trib's political blog The Swamp has commentary and pix---including Obama campaign buttons.