NY Times’ Herbert Highlights Obama’s Lack of Fire, Passion, and Toughness

Bob Herbert at the New York Times this morning actually managed to criticize the campaign of his long-favored presidential pick, Barack Obama, without taking a cheap sexist shot at Hillary Clinton in passing; unfortunately, Herbert felt compelled to smear voters with charges of racism early on in his op-ed.

Upset over the One’s tepid campaign since the DNC and its media allies anointed him the party’s presumptive nominee on June 3, Herbert writes:

“Barack Obama was always a long shot to win the White House. It’s no secret that some portion of the electorate will never vote for him because of his color. But he has made the odds even longer by running a campaign that, since the primaries, has seemed directionless, uninspired and addicted to the empty calories of generalities.

“And the candidate himself has seemed flat. No fire. No passion.”

Well, Bob, it could have something to do with the candidate’s choosing to bodysurf in Hawaii all week while Russia attacked Georgia, and McCain took center stage in the presidential race.

Herbert confirms what we already knew:

“The last eight years have been calamitous. We’re struggling with two wars, one of which we never should have started. The economy has tanked big time. The housing market has collapsed and foreclosures have skyrocketed.

“Motorists are reeling from high gasoline prices. The financial-services sector is teetering like a skyscraper in an earthquake. Robust budget surpluses have morphed into deficits stretching to the horizon and beyond. And cash-strapped, debt-ridden working families are viewing the future with high anxiety, if not outright fear.”

Herbert again notes the obvious:

“Mr. Obama likes to say he’s skinny but tough. But with all due respect, he hasn’t yet demonstrated the degree of toughness needed to prevail in a presidential campaign. There is nothing genteel about these contests.”

To read Herbert’s op-ed in its entirety, go here.