HillaryÕs boys pout that the press should find some dirt on Obama before time runs out. Their once fearsome campaign is now reduced to whining that Obama did not hold any substantive hearings of his Subcommittee on European Affairs. WhatÕs next? Bitterly complaining that he missed a quorum call?

Hillary keeps trying to dismiss ObamaÕs appeal as emotional, something that can be overcome with enough mental discipline. But behind that ethereal presence heÕs a wonky lawyer, just like Hillary. He reads The Times and Philip Roth and talks about the fine points of Medicare Part B in a way W. never could have when he first ran for president. (Or now.)

HillaryÕs visceral attacks will not work. And the RepublicansÕ visceral attacks on the ObamasÕ patriotism, and their usual attempt to make the Democrat seem foreign (Hussein, Hussein, Hussein!), may not have the same traction.

The president took the country to war on his gut, exploited our fears and played the patriotism card to advance his political agenda.

This time, Americans may prefer cerebral arguments to visceral ones. What a refreshing change reality would be. ..."


((Maureen Dowd, TImes)