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.