Ever since he became a major contender for the Democratic nomination, I have been skeptical of Obama's platform, or lack thereof. Kevin Drum expressed my sentiments perfectly:
I've been voting for three decades now. I've heard lots of politicians take up the "bold truthteller" meme.... Maybe this is one reason that I'm not quite as taken by Obama as a lot of people: I've seen it before.
I too questioned whether saying the word "change" an inordinate number of times was enough to actually get anything accomplished. The country may be desperate for change, but that doesn't mean you get a free pass on the substance just because you look different from the last 43 presidents.
Kevin, however, posted today about Obama's effort in Illinois to protect the rights of defendants in criminal cases, and I was genuinely impressed. Obama should not only be ready to defend his record, he should be openly promoting it as proof that he is more than just a slogan.
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