A campaign about image

A smart column from E.J. Dionne.

Obama's charisma causes him other problems. Arnesen said that while Clinton's message "is very much about the voters," Obama's is "very much about himself" and his personal capacity to create change.

Cinde Warmington, who chairs the Democratic Party in the town of Gilford and supports Chris Dodd, said she likes Obama but was struck by a speech given by Michelle Obama declaring that her husband "really is special." This positive attribute, Warmington said, can also "come across as a sense of detachment," or even what some here perceive as an above-the-fray superiority.

Given what politics is today, it's surprising to me that nobody ever suggested to him that what makes him so magnetic to some might badly repel many, many others.