Since I often find myself criticizing Michael Gerson, I suppose I should praise him where deserving. Writring about the Saddleback forum is certainly in his area of expertise, and I thought his column today was very astute:
For many evangelicals, the theoretical Obama — the Obama of hope and unity — is intriguing, even appealing. But this opinion is not likely to improve upon closer inspection of his policy views. Obama is one of those rare political figures who seems to grow smaller the closer we approach him. “I want people to know me well,” Obama said at the forum. Among religious conservatives, that may not be an advantage.
That part about a larger-than-life Obama getting smaller as we approach him seems exactly right. (And if you haven’t yet read Bill Kristol’s great column on Saddleback, linked in NRO’s Web Briefing, you should read that as well.)