| What are we to make of Barack Obama? Most | | | | has had an ongoing relationship with former radical |
| of us think he makes a good impression: he is | | | | Weather Underground leader, William Ayers, who |
| friendly, likeable, intelligent and courteous. His | | | | only a few years ago said he wished he had set |
| speeches are often inspiring and eloquent. He | | | | off more bombs in his radically destructive youth |
| remains calm and controlled under verbal fire, and | | | | than he in fact did. |
| he seems to do so without much effort. A friend | | | | It appears from this list that Mr. Obama is quite |
| and fellow faculty member at the University of | | | | comfortable with persons in whom anger is a |
| Chicago, Cass Sunstein, describes him as an | | | | prominent dynamic, or criminal impulses are |
| excellent listener, very reasonable and willing to go | | | | overtly expressed, or both. In fact, it would not |
| where the evidence takes him. All of this sounds | | | | be a stretch to conclude that he is even |
| most admirable. | | | | attracted to such persons, not just comfortable |
| Nevertheless, there has emerged within the last | | | | with them, given his conscious choices of wife, |
| several weeks an increasing sense of discomfort | | | | pastor and friends. Your average political |
| with Mr. Obama, and not just because of his | | | | candidate, for example, would probably not count |
| political views. Of course those views do matter. | | | | among his friends an ex-domestic terrorist or an |
| For one thing, his overall voting record is | | | | indicted federal defendant, nor listen on Sundays |
| extremely liberal, a fact which makes many of us | | | | to hate speech in church, nor have a wife who |
| uneasy. For another, some of his recent remarks | | | | angrily claims she has been victimized by |
| suggest either a troubling ignorance of basic | | | | American society, especially if she is highly |
| economics or a willingness under the banner of | | | | educated in two elite universities and highly paid |
| "fairness" to punish productivity with higher taxes. | | | | for her work in a third. In fact, given what we |
| Whatever economic and social policy positions he | | | | know about the way the human mind works, |
| declares as a presidential candidate, it is clear that | | | | what would be a stretch would be any claim that |
| Mr. Obama lives in the far left camp of American | | | | Mr. Obama's relationships with this many angry |
| politics. His voting record and economic policies are | | | | and/or destructive people are purely coincidental, |
| likely to keep him there. | | | | though we can expect his supporters to make |
| But what has emerged in the last few months as | | | | that very claim in his defense. Indeed, from a |
| most troubling about this very interesting man has | | | | psychodynamic perspective, his tolerance of, let |
| more to do with who he is personally than what | | | | alone his affection for, persons who are enduringly |
| he believes politically. Based on what we have | | | | angry almost guarantees that he has his own |
| learned recently about a number of persons close | | | | anger "issues." |
| to him, we are reminded of the old saw that a | | | | So, does he actually have such issues? Behind his |
| man may be judged by the company he keeps. | | | | calm, cordial and well controlled persona, is Mr. |
| The most notable company Mr. Obama has kept | | | | Obama an angry man? Is there any evidence to |
| for the last twenty years is, of course, his pastor | | | | that effect in his personal history? Would he |
| and father-figure, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, | | | | describe himself as significantly angry or hostile? |
| an unusually hateful race monger and America | | | | And anyway, does any of this matter? It should. |
| basher, and a man whom Mr. Obama and his wife | | | | We should know by now that a candidate's |
| Michelle have chosen to guide their children's | | | | character is not irrelevant to the office he seeks. |
| religious education. Less prominent, but still making | | | | We should also know that an undercurrent of |
| headlines, is Mr. Obama's relationship with a man | | | | anger is not irrelevant to character. It would seem |
| he describes as his mentor and friend, Tony | | | | beyond coincidence that many of the most |
| Rezko, who is now being tried in federal court on | | | | prominent people in Mr. Obama's life are either |
| charges of financial and political wrongdoing. A third | | | | verifiably angry or have antisocial attitudes, or |
| person to whom Mr. Obama is obviously close is | | | | both. This is one of the reasons why many |
| his very accomplished wife, Michelle Obama, | | | | Americans have become uncomfortable with him. |
| whose black racism and hostility toward America, | | | | There is something wrong with the picture of Mr. |
| dating back to her college days, has lately | | | | Obama as we get to know more about him and |
| attracted attention in the press. Finally, Mr. Obama | | | | about the company he keeps. |