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Time for Hopefuls to Wax Philosophical

We still don't know how the candidates think: Noonan

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 26, 2008 11:42 AM CDT

(Newser) – Barack Obama is rising in the polls, but he still seems “exotic”; John McCain is playing the maverick but his maneuvering on the bailout may have been “too cute.” In a week with “all categories upside-down and out the window,” it’s time for both candidates to explain how they think, and why they believe in their respective parties, Peggy Noonan writes in the Wall Street Journal.

It’s true that the country turns to the Dems when the economy is the issue, but in the eyes of America, Obama’s “not your basic Dem, he's his own phenomenon,” Noonan notes. He should offer “a series of speeches on ‘Why I am a Democrat.’” And McCain should do the same for his party. “We know his stands and strategies, but not, really, his philosophy.”

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., walks through the Capitol after leaving the office of Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., walks through the Capitol after leaving the office of Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008, on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., walks to waiting reporters after attending a meeting at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., walks to waiting reporters after attending a meeting at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., calls on a reporter as he speaks to the media after attending a meeting at the White House in Washington Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., calls on a reporter as he speaks to the media after attending a meeting at the White House in Washington Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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We know their specific stands, but as to how they think, Mr. McCain often seems to be making it up as he goes along, and Mr. Obama often seems to be concealing it. - Peggy Noonan

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