Obama, dazed and confused

If, as Slate V recently pointed out, Hillary Clinton is like Tracy Flick from Alexander Payne's irreverent film "Election" (1999), then perhaps Barack Obama is like quarterback Randall Floyd from Richard Linklater's high school classic "Dazed and Confused" (1993).

True, the comparison isn't nearly as on point as Clinton is to Flick:



But Obama and Floyd do have some similarities. Whether it was a presidential election or high school, both coasted through these periods on the strength of their charisma, jocularity and good looks. Both are masters of oratory. (Obama: "Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential."— Floyd: "It’s best to get it all at once. After the first 10 licks your ass gets so numb you don't feel it.")

For a time, life was good for these two. Obama swept 11 primaries in a row and was riding a wave of voter enthusiasm all the way to the Democratic nomination. Floyd was the captain of the football team on the eve of summer, paddle in hand, his future and a veritable field of to-be-freshman butts in front of him.

But then they reached a crossroads.

Each had to make a decision that could affect that once-promising future. Would Floyd sign the totally uncool anti-drug agreement his fascist coach was forcing on his players, thus making his summer irrelevant and like totally uncool? Will Obama sharpen his attacks against Clinton now that she has vaulted back into the race by winning both the Texas and Ohio primaries, thus jeopardizing the veneer of amiability that has, up until Tuesday, endeared him to his voter base? Will he channel his inner-Chicagoan and take the bat out of the trunk, aiming for the Clinton campaign's knees?

Well, we know Floyd chucked that anti-drug thing right in coach's smarmy face and bought Aerosmith tickets. ("Number one priority of the summer," he said. So cool.)

But only Obama and his advisors know what the future holds for their campaign. He did come out swinging—though jabbing is more like it—this morning. The New York Times was aboard his campaign plane to report on some of his opinions of his opponent.

“She’s made the argument that she’s thoroughly vetted, in contrast to me,” he said. “I think it’s important to examine that argument.”

He also questioned her experience in foreign diplomacy: “What exactly is this foreign experience that she’s claiming? I know she talks about visiting 80 countries. It is not clear. Was she negotiating treaties or agreements or was she handling crises during this period of time? My sense is the answer’s no.”

With the Pennsylvania primary looming, it will be interesting to see how sharp his jabs become. Seeing as how Clinton dominated Ohio—and how similar the two states' demographics line up, especially economically—Obama could have a tough time winning there without answering Hillary's attack on his record of experience.

A suggestion to the Obama campaign: get to know Pittsburgh's sports teams. Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger just signed a contract extension worth over $100 million; Penguins' captain/phenom Sidney Crosby just returned to the lineup after an injury necessitated hiatus. (But don't say it like that, say it more blue collar, like "Good to see Sid the Kid back after some wonk f@#*ed up his leg.")

Just don't bring up the Pirates. That's still kind of a sore subject in the steel city.

It's about time to go, friend-o's so I'll sign off as I usually do with a thought. What if Obama didn't attack Clinton at all, and she in turn had a change of heart. Like the Grinch's, it would swell to three times its size and she would stop being such a Negative Nancy. Could you imagine that, Obama and Clinton just getting along?

Maybe it would look something like this.