Answers in Due Time

As the snowball of the Obama campaign rolls downhill and gains both size and momentum, it is interesting to note the way in which the campaign has come to view itself. Narcissus gazing in a pool could not see himself any more clearly. It is in a position to dictate, and dictate it will. Access to The Obama will be controlled, and compliance with The Word will be demanded.

For Change!

The latest example:

In an interview over the weekend, Joe Biden was asked to clarify the difference between Marx's "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" and Obama's spreading the wealth comments.

Biden's answer was less than forthcoming. In fact, there was no answer. The question was answered with another question. "Are you serious?" And then laughter.

After the interview the station that conducted the interview was told that a previously scheduled interview with Jill Biden, Joe's wife, would not be held. Their reason? The station had conducted "an unprofessional interview" with Joe Biden.

Now, the Obama campaign is under no obligation to answer any question it does not want to, and it is obvious that the Obama campaign feels it is in its best interests to set ground rules on the type of questions that can be asked of their candidates for highest office, particularly for Biden, who has been in the Senate since the Egyptians invented papyrus. If Talkin' Joe hasn't figured out yet how to answer questions with candor, he isn't going to as Vice President.

It is clear that The Obama knows that not all of his opinions are shared by a large segment of the population. He may even believe that his opinions are not shared by a simple majority of the public and that he has been swept into the lead by the public's distaste for President Bush and also helped by a lackluster opponent. With the polls telling him that he has a solid lead there is no point in Obama fleshing out the finer points of his philosophy. Why take the chance? In football parlance, he is simply trying to keep the ball on the ground and running out the clock.

It is better for the Obama campaign if these sorts of questions remain unasked.

If members of the press refuse to play by the rules, they will be punished. Let the voters find out for themselves in their own time the answers to these unasked questions.