Much has been made over the last several months about how damned good Mr. Obama looks. He looks good in the black cowboy hat. He looks good in shirtsleeves. He looks bad in the sunglasses.
Does it really matter? Occasionally, someone gets a little reactionary in here, complaining that his attractiveness is beside the point. On the flip side, most people are mostly just having fun, enjoying the candidate's essential coolness -- enjoying the opportunity to enjoy the candidate's essential coolness.
I, on the other hand, think there's more to the matter than most admit.
Make no mistake about it: an ugly woman can be just as capable and powerful a leader as the most handsome of fellows. This isn't really about Obama's "essential" good looks. In fact, I'm not sure I'm even willing to grant that he's such an extremely handsome guy.
Nonetheless, he looks good. And the reason he looks good, I suggest, is that he is wholly comfortable with himself. Every shot of him, in shirt sleeves, or with suit jacket thrown over his shoulder, with the shades on, with some sort of head cover ... the context doesn't matter, because in every situation, the man carries himself with confidence.
Contrast this to any of a number of other politicians. Consider McCain for a moment, about as tightly-wound as a human body can get without popping. He is always tense. Why? What is his problem? Think of Nixon ... the hunched shoulders, the awkward, exaggerated arm movements. This is a man who is always uncomfortable in the presence of other human beings. That's not a good indicator for a guy who devoted his life to managing the affairs of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of humans.
And W ... oh, dear God, W, with his hitched up shoulders, smirking face thrust forward, trying to be cool, but never quite getting there. This is a guy who is always on the defensive, always ready to let his inferiority complex lead. It's no surprise he was a drunk -- that's probably the only way he ever felt any sort of peace in his own body.
Carter, with his shy, awkward smiles -- unable to act on his best intentions, because he couldn't manage his personal relationships with Congress. Even the Big Dawg ... sure, he could look relaxed. (Though when he wasn't relaxed, he looked like he was about to deck you.) In fact, BD was too relaxed. Everything was hanging out -- and there was a lot to hang out. BD's personal carriage bespoke a man of substantial appetites, wont to indulge those appetites. He looked good in a suit -- but he never looked comfortable in a suit.
The reason I like to sit and contemplate photos of this extraordinarily photogenic of candidates is that his easy self-confidence projects an inner character that is not trying to prove anything to anybody. He is not driven by his cravings. He eats until he isn't hungry anymore, and gets up from the table. He's not afraid to say, No thank you. There's a job to do. He believes he can do it.
There's something about this cover that tells us, yes: this is going to be a good read.