David Brooks's unexpected pro-Obama editorial

By Mona Goldwater, Democratic Primary and Caucus Ed.

Coming from David Brooks, this is pretty fascinating. Brooks praises President Obama's humanity, integrity, and decision making.   Read his fascinating editorial here. 

As our friend and reader Francis pointed out, after a brief flirtation with BHO over some pointy-headed philosophy, Brooks pretty much hunkered down and gently/fiercely hectored President Obama for the last seven years. This piece makes me like Brooks even more. I don't read editorials often, but when I do, I have liked his pieces. He's almost always wrong, but wrong in a right way. And he's right about President Obama.

"No, Obama has not been temperamentally perfect. Too often he’s been disdainful, aloof, resentful and insular. But there is a tone of ugliness creeping across the world, as democracies retreat, as tribalism mounts, as suspiciousness and authoritarianism take center stage. Obama radiates an ethos of integrity, humanity, good manners and elegance that I’m beginning to miss, and that I suspect we will all miss a bit, regardless of who replaces him."

For all the sniping now, it will only be a few short years before he is remembered fondly and, maybe, even beloved. David Brooks new found love of BHO's character may very well be influenced by the treachery, whoppers, hot air, bluster, and sewage he's been forced to consume in the 2015/16 GOP-Tea Party television debates.

How far back do we have to go to find a previous President with real integrity? '76 and Jimmy Carter? Cal Coolidge? Or maybe all the way back to Grover Cleveland (who is universally considered to be the most honest, integrity-riddled U.S. politician ever). Maybe Bernie Sanders is up there too. I don't know. But working across the aisle/bipartisanship always moves me, and I like that Brooks put this out there for the GOP and pundits to see.

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