by Fred Tolleson

Created on: June 17, 2008

We should not be surprised at Obama's success! Here is a bright young man with great oratorical skills who has stood up to the best political machines of our times and succeeded!

Most of us who are over 50 years of age will remember another bright young man from Harvard who was a new Senator from Massachussets. Indeed, Kennedy and Obama share many character-istics and we should pay attention to the similarities.

For instance, we all seem to forget the controversy about having a Catholic man run for the Presidency. It was a valid issue at the time, but after being elected John Kennedy proved many times over that religion was not a issue to be feared. Today Obama is being criticized as a closet Islamic follower, although there is no evidence to support such a claim other than attendance at school affiliated with Islam many years back. Obama has been criticized for the actions of his Pastor to the extent the he had to sever a tie to the church he grew up in! This seemed unfair to both Obama and the church.

Kennedy was criticized for membership in one of the many secret fraternal organizations at Harvard. While at Harvard, countless persons have been enlisted in these same organizations and the world is still spinning - to the dismay of some! Today, Obama is taking heat over his involvement in human rights organizations, environmental groups and the many fronts of the Democratic party liberals. What else did anyone ever think this bright young man would represent?

Oratorical skills have always been highly prized and praised by the American public. John Kennedy was the last great oratorical president. Others before him include Roosevelt, Lincoln and a few others, mostly prior to the turn of the 20th century. Kennedy's many phrases are still quoted today and used by countless others to emphasize points. Obama has that knack of getting the word across in such a manner that the audience is participating with the speaker on each and every phrase. Obama is an accomplished speaker who seldom uses notes and can speak authoritatively and at length about countless subjects. Doing all of this and keeping all the topics of the day in an orderly manner is the mark of an exceptional speaker.

John Kennedy had a great skill for working with the media of his day. Frequently he was able to use humor to make a point, or bring up a new point of view the reporter had not thought of yet and still arrive at a satisfactory answer. Today, you need only watch Obama wend his way through all of the sharp questions thrown at him to know how well versed this candidate is in the subjects at hand.

Should we be surprised that a bright young man holding a Harvard Law degree and several years of experience in dealing with the public is having a successful campaign for the presidency? I think not! If we are amazed about anything, it should be that he has not garnered more public support than already at his side!

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