And yet Senator Obama is even more impressive in informal settings - like a town hall meeting or impromptu debate. His conversational approach on those occasions bears no resemblance to the spread-eagle style that used to so excite American audiences before it became something to parody.

This is no William Jennings Bryan reciting his Cross of Gold speech with dramatic gestures. It's more like a reincarnation of John F. Kennedy's restrained elegance. Barack Obama doesn't bombard his listeners with flamboyant oratory. Instead, he wins us over with a practiced ease that doesn't seem practiced at all.

To borrow another metaphor from Huey Long, aka The Kingfish, this new political star is not a hoot owl but a scrootch owl. What's the difference? Here's how he explained it: "A hoot owl bangs into the nest and knocks the hen clean off and catches her while she's falling. But a scrootch owl slips into the roost and talks softly to her. And the hen just falls in love with him, and the first thing you know, there ain't no hen!"

Hillary Clinton is definitely a hoot owl. Charm has never been her strong suit. She's been a brass-knuckles fighter for as long as I've watched her in hard-hitting action.

In contrast, Barack Obama is a scrootch owl, sidling up to his audience in the most agreeable fashion before co-opting it.

Miss Hillary bashes us into acquiescence, or at least tries to. Naturally we resist. Nobody likes being argued into submission.

In contrast, Mister Cool makes agreeing with him seem only reasonable.

Ever notice how he begins so many responses to challenging questions? First he agrees with his questioner's position, perhaps restating it better. Then he gradually moves on in that soft-spoken way of his to supply his own, quite different conclusion so subtly he's won you over.

Barack Obama charms his prey before delivering the coup de grace. And the first thing you know, there ain't no opposition left.

In his own concise, memorable way, Huey Long explained the theory behind the scrootch owl's modus operandi long ago. Barack Obama has just put it into practice.