GEORGE BERNARD Shaw said that political movements that rely on honest men and scholars are doomed, because there are not enough of them. The hangers-on, the opportunists, the yes-men, and the consultants give a political movement muscle, but they inflate their leaders more than anyone would inflate himself. I think this sort of collective egotism is at work in the Obama campaign, and that Joan Vennochi's column sees a personal egotism that is in fact manufactured by his campaign. If Obama starts to believe his campaign hype, that will be dangerous, but I don't think we're nearly there yet.
Obama needs a King Canute moment, in which, like the legendary Viking leader, he makes evident to his supporters that the waves of the sea will hit him or knock him over, just like everybody else. He's a wonderfully talented, hard-working guy, and I'm convinced that he's also a realist - something that both the public and his promoters need to see more often.
TIM HARRIGAN
Franklin
