A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
Today's issue of Le Monde contains a previously unpublished 1996 interview with Michelle and Barack Obama on the subject of their marriage. Jake Tapper is running an English translation of the French translation of the English interview.
The interview, conducted by an author who was planning a book about American marriages, does not tell us anything new about the Obamas. And in my view, that is what makes it worthy of our attention.
One of the most memorable DKos diaries for me during the campaign was dawnt's Chatting with the guy from Illinois with the funny name, which recounted dawn's interview with the 2004 version of Barack Obama. Which, as it turned out, was remarkably similar to Obama v.2008. The reason it was so memorable was that it revealed a man whose values are solid enough, and articulated clearly enough, that they have consistently served as the foundations of both his words and his actions throughout his political life.
And as we have been getting to know the Obamas as a family over the past few months, it has become obvious that those same values characterize not only Barack Obama the politician, but Barack Obama the man, the son, the husband, the father.
A few years ago, I went through some major and unwanted life experiences that caused me to do a lot of what is sometimes called "navel-gazing." One of the many realizations driven home to me during this time is that, among other things, "integrity" means that one's identity does not shift depending on context. It may be expressed differently, but the same values and convictions will, very intentionally and visibly, govern the person of integrity at home, in the workplace, with friends, with clients, with birth family, and with strangers.
It is an ideal I strive for, but still have not fully reached. Everything I have learned about Obama's schooling and previous career, his Presidential campaign, his family life, and the transition process convinces me that whatever criticisms one may have of the man, he comes as close to this model of integrity as anyone I've ever seen. And he certainly leads the pack of politicians with whom I have any familiarity. (Jimmy Carter is probably at or near that same level, but I don't know as much about him.)
That may be why the Palin/McCain campaign's "Who is Barack Obama? We don't know enough about him!" campaign theme fell so flat. The only way someone can not know who this man is, is if they haven't been paying attention.
And the wingnutters are still at it; many of the comments to Tapper's column are claims that, even as far back as 1996, Barack and Michelle were faking it, saying the pretty words they thought would advance his political career. I had to laugh.
All I can say is, if they're right, then Obama is even smarter than I think he is, to be able to pull that off so effectively over such a long period of time. And that would be brilliant indeed.