Unknown Quantity

Just what the Wright and Rezko affairs actually tell us about Obama’s past and his views is hard to discern at this point. But for Democrats, the greatest worry must involve not the substance of either scandal, but the fact that Obama’s links to these controversies are only now emerg- ing in full. What further unpleasant sur- prises await? What if this new and less appealing Obama is the real one?

The fact is, the Democratic party may be about to hitch its wagon to a remark- ably unknown star, without much sense of what troubles may lie in his past—and the party’s future.