The Hard Slog Starts for Barack

It was a triumphant and historic moment for Barack Obama last night as he finally loped across the finish line. No one can take that away from him. Well...Hillary is flexing her muscles. And John McCain was on offense, speaking earlier in the evening from Louisiana, challenging Obama's recycled liberal "change" with McCain's new ideas for reform.

The Tribune plastered their front page with "Obama makes history" and a huge photo, giving Barack the home town treatment. But in his speech, the supposedly post-partisan Big O took a shot at those who oppose him:

"What you won't hear from this campaign or this party is the kind of politics that uses religion as a wedge and patriotism as a bludgeon," Obama said, "that sees our opponents not as competitors to challenge but enemies to demonize."

Who is demonizing whom, hmm? In a related story, the Tribune harshly evokes Selma, we have an obligation to vote for Barack, you see. And this is a stretch:

But his speech and personal presence are more Harvard than South Side of Chicago. That polish and fluency with middle-class white culture in turn make his candidacy more accessible. "I think the manner and the way he comes across in no way threatens most Americans," Devine said.

Has the "typical white person" been forgotten so soon? Obama made a very awkward nod to his grandma back in Hawaii during his thank you's at the beginning of his speech last night. Also in the Tribune, Father Pfleger's parishioners are protesting his involuntary temporary leave (the Trib notes the Rev. Wright was inside St. Sabina praying with them), and over at the Sun Times Obama shares the front page with Pfleger, the other mouthy Reverend buddy of Obama, whom he has also since repudiated. Mary Mitchell writes the lead in the online Sun Times. Her column yesterday lauding Pfleger and comparing him to an armed insurrectionist was quite illuminating. Still at the Dem Sun Times, Carol Marin says Obama needs to court women, and lead on race. Pfleger was explosive on both (emphasis mine):

As one high-level Democratic Party operative lamented, "Hey, we're past that, everybody knows that." In other words, Obama's the guy who transcends race.

Fine. But he has to convince the rest of the nation to do the same. It won't be easy given the fiery sermons of his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, echoed this week by the race-based flogging of Hillary Clinton by longtime supporter the Rev. Michael Pfleger.

Some tensions there. The Swamp notes Dem women held out for Hillary until the end. And the Rezko jury continues its deliberations for the 12th day. Now begins the hard slog for Barack Obama--he's never faced a strong opponent who hasn't been from his own party. And given the long Dem battle, there is a lot to work with from his fallen opponents. Then there is his own considerable messy baggage which he has brought to the race. Can he keep his radical ties and ideals under wraps until November?