He's the King of Teflon, But Will It Last?

Barack Obama has admitted that all politicians have a “reptilian side,” but the candidate’s slipperiness is so well-cloaked by his affable persona that he must be the “koala of iguanas,” Jack Shafer writes for Slate. Nothing sticks to Obama in part because he has anticipated all attacks and pre-admitted his mistakes, as far back as his book, Dreams From My Father.

Shafer sees calculation everywhere, even in Obama’s oft-criticized voting record. His “lack of legislative accomplishment is a genuine achievement. They can't hit you where they can't find you.” But in the general election, where voters “tend to want more answers and fewer gestures,” Obama will have to drop his shield and embrace, rather than skillfully evade, the press and the country. (More Barack Obama stories.)