Obama's Magic

Michelle Obama is at the forefront of the White House's 2010 mid-term election strategy -- not our Commander in Chief. That's because, unlike her husband, Michelle has political capital to expend. Barack has lost his luster, and according to Fouad Ajami in the Wall Street Journal, he's not likely to get it back.

It is in the nature of charisma that it rises out of thin air, out of need and distress, and then dissipates when the magic fails.

This is a welcome development, says Ajami. The Obama mystique held a majority of our nation under a spell, and the sooner our country comes to grips with reality, we'll be all the better for it.