The nation may have awakened, in Thomas Friedman's estimation, to a "different country," but it took an incredibly boring election night to get there (and an occasionally ridiculous one—i.e. the CNN hologram).
There's a reality gap between cool-cat Obama's doubtless victory and this nattering about catharsis and historic transformation—a veritable end to the American Civil War, according to a fumfering and credulous Friedman (people really will say anything the morning after).
(AP Photo)
This is the JFK moment, the historic passing of the torch to a new generation, when in reality, for JFK as well as Obama, the real story is so much more about superb political execution. Indeed, JFK at least came down to the wire (he was a product of such excitement), whereas Obama had his election perfectly calculated so long ahead of time.
The historic transformation may not be so much about having a black man as president, but a control freak—that is, a man in control of himself—a man who has thought it all out, who with his preternatural and eerie calm operates from such a great distance, who exists so much more than any other successful American politician in his own head, carefully writing his own story.
We really have no idea who this guy is. He might be best served by continuing to keep us in the dark.
