My main criticisms of Maureen Dowd are that she sees politics as both a game and an opportunity show how clever she is. No matter how important the issue or election, the essential thing is to be witty. This prevented her from viewing the 2000 election for what it was: vital contest between an intelligent and experienced leader and the most intellectually incurious person to ever run for our highest office.
So I found the following exchange (after the break) between Senator Obama’s and Ms. Dowd utterly refreshing. (Excerted from this past Saturday's New York Times.)
“Does Al Gore have first dibs on the presidency?”
''I love Al Gore,'' he replies. ''He's a smart guy.'' He said he liked Mr. Gore's seriousness on issues he cares deeply about. ''This sounds clichéd, but this week I had five mothers of folks headed to Iraq cry during rope lines where I was shaking hands and had me hug 'em. This stuff is just not a game. Now that doesn't mean that there's not the basic blocking and tackling of politics. I've got to raise money. I've got to manage my press. We've got to respond rapidly to attacks. But what I don't want to do is get drawn into the sport of it.''
Maybe I am reading too much into this. But when someone disparages both the “game” and “sport” of politics to one of the pundits most guilty of playing it that way I see it as skillfully putting Ms. Dowd in her place.
It is also another reason why I see Senator Obama as possibly the most intelligent and charismatic candidate to run for the Presidency in my lifetime. ( And I am 51.)