Obama's career captured by photographer

Obama never planned to run for office in kindergarden, he just had a photog trail him just in case he might "rise" to power.

Obama himself has belittled trips abroad like the one he took to Russia in an effort to kill the experience (poignancy) of Hillary's many trips. Then I don't see anything poignant about those pictures. Maybe makes for poignant camera angle and light capture, but like Obama all gloss all the time but no substance.. Just great cover story of the rise of another Bill Clinton bc the public was tired of Republicans, economy, and just wanted a clean slate. Any slate will do. God if only someone thought about making an effort to poignantly capture, through film, the trips Hillary took to 80 countries, or maybe McCain's rise in politics from back of the bunch to front and center...oh wait you only get a photog and a picture book when you only have so little material to go on....and maybe so into yourself. Nah, maybe the media so into you...Chicago Tribune photog....really..they new he was presidential before he was presidential...a bunch of psychics these people.

What a strange headline.

Wow. Those are really excellent photos.

Wow! The Trib has a photographer who knows how to compose the subject and get decent contrast and tonal range. Who'da thunk it?

Newsflash to Charming: You're not charming at all, in fact, you're just a poor loser.

Charming,
The reason that no photographer followed Hillary's career or any other politician's in the same style is probably because they aren't as charming or as compelling. There is something compelling about Obama, something inspiring, something that all the other leaders have lacked. He is another Martin Luther King, another Abraham Lincoln. Obama is another visionary who is down to earth, who can feast with kings but not lose the common touch. That is why Obamamania has gripped the world. Not just America, but the world hasn't seen such a leader for a long time. We need him to win. Don't let us down America. Go Obama! Fellow supporters, please visit WhyObama08.org!! Thank you for your excellent works, Mr. Souza.

Aiken Blue, what planet are you from?

Great pics, can't wait to buy the book.

Elizabeth McKinley there is a sucker born every minute as PT Barnum said.
If you like Obama pictures I've got a bridge to sell you. Jerry White, Springfield, ILP.S. He is such a hyped up candidate repackaged socialism.

YOU’RE NO ABRAHAM LINCOLN!

In his continuing ‘symbolism over substance’ offensive, Obama and his acolytes like to draw the appealing comparison to Abraham Lincoln: he is another tall man from Illinois who is above politics, or who is very appealing, etc.

There are problems with this analogy. The main contradiction I would like to point out is that of oratory and presentation. Many have pointed out Lincoln’s Cooper Union speech in New York as launching his political career and that is true enough. What they fail to point out is that Lincoln undoubtedly succeeded in spite of his appearance and presentation, not because of it. It was what he was saying and not how he was saying it at all that helped Cooper Union launch Lincoln.

Carl Sandburg in his famous biography of Lincoln describes his “high, squeaky voice” with its Western nasally twang, which immediately put him at a disadvantage with the Eastern bigwigs. His appearance was off-putting to say the least: he was gangly, over-tall and long, awkward and most said ugly. We now suspect this jarring impression might have been caused by disease.

There is no doubt really as to who the most hated President was in history (when he was serving). It was Lincoln. What was the main subject of the vitriolic, vicious attacks? It was his appearance and presentation. His speeches, for instance, were routinely panned as an embarrassment to the country. One famous example is the Gettysburg Address. Edward Everett’s lengthy address was universally acclaimed; he was an oratory artist of the highest degree. Comments on Lincoln included the observation that he might have saved everyone the trouble by not speaking.

On the other hand, Lincoln was a master of the informal debate, the small group, one-on-one discussions, etc. In the free-form give-and-take of the courtroom or the town hall meeting, Lincoln had no peer. He knew his Bible and his Shakespeare on demand and used favorite anecdotes with adaptation for the situation. His life experience shone brightly through here like it could not in a speech.

So, Lincoln succeeded in spite of a handicap in prepared speeches. Why then did he succeed? He knew what he believed and why with great intellectual and spiritual depth. That is why his true strength was seen in informal settings where someone like Douglas, great at the prepared speech, was often exposed.

We should note that Lincoln was no political dummy. He had a great instinct for the realities. But he knew the value of consistency in the long run. He adapted ingeniously but what drove him were his core beliefs.

Now, if we draw the analogy out, the main success of Obama has been in his appearance, prepared speeches and presentation. He is smooth, suave, and handsome in appearance. His long speeches with their choreographed repetition and enthusiasm are his calling card. Everyone agrees about his style and acumen.

How does Obama do at the press conference, town hall meeting, and more informal interaction? I think we all know! Examples are his speaking to the dead in the crowd at Arlington, the 57 states, etc. Despite saying he would meet John McCain anywhere, anytime, when he was actually called on it, it hasn’t happened. His staff is going to try and avoid it because Obama is terrible at it.

I think the bottom line is that, with Obama, there is no ‘there’ there, quite unlike Lincoln. Either he is trying to hide what he believes or he is such a chameleon he just doesn’t know. His ferocious flip-flopping of recent days has given us all vertigo.

If you think about it John McCain is actually a much better fit in this particular analysis. He is pretty bad at the prepared speech, but he excels at town hall meetings because he has had the life experience and he knows what he believes. Love of country and a cause greater than self are not just rhetoric for him. He uses anecdotes to advantage like Lincoln did. He doesn’t have to check what he’s supposed to believe that day.

One other thing that sticks out to me is that McCain has stuck with his beliefs despite significant political risk (e.g. the Petraeus surge) while also being able to adapt and make things workable in the real political world. Lincoln stuck with his anti-slavery stance at great risk but also adapted as he went to make it workable in light of the actual situation.

Obama, like his friend Deval Patrick in Massachusetts, is really much more comparable to the Little Giant, Stephen Douglas from Illinois. They all made quite a big splash with their oratory but each of them is so ambivalent as to their core and soul that they can never make the impact that Abraham Lincoln made.