Explaining Obama to Israelis

In the summer of 1961, several months after John F. Kennedy entered the White House, a beautiful boy was born in Hawaii to a father "black as pitch" and a mother "white as milk." Forty-five years hence, Barack Hussein Obama, the son of a student from Kenya and a woman from Kansas, whose parents are thus colorfully described in his first book, the best-seller "Dreams from My Father," is the most exciting politician in America.

Just as Kennedy was. Very soon, it appears, his candidacy for office of president will be announced. He will then be asked, over and over, the obvious question: How can a young, inexperienced man compete for the job desired by seasoned political lions like the Democrat Hillary Clinton and the Republican John McCain?

Obama's second book is also at the top of the best-seller lists. Its title is "The Audacity of Hope." Obama surely wants to be audacious like JFK, who also wrote two best-sellers before he was elected president, and to radiate hope and appear erudite and charismatic as another young Democrat named Bill Clinton did (Clinton was "The man from Hope" - the name of his hometown).
But for that annoying question about his lack of experience, Obama has an answer to fend off detractors. He can point to political figure who casts a bigger shadow than either JFK or Clinton. Like Obama, he was a legislator from the state of Illinois and had only two years of experience before being elected president. His name was Abraham Lincoln, and he was a success.

Here are some of the reasons why the Israeli public should be interested in Obama: he manifests the genuine longing for change in American society; he is the most charismatic candidate and represents a new generation of politicians; he is the proof that the less you do, the more difficult it is for your opponents to slander your candidacy; he offers a key to understanding the strength, but also the weakness of the political dynamics in the United States; and he may be the next president, or his deputy, in two years.

Obama is probably a brilliant man, but his record to date is somewhat thin. Elected to the Senate only two years ago, he has not led any important piece of legislation nor did he make a moving speech. And not because he is especially careful - all the candidates are careful at this point. And not because he lacks views. He has simply never had to account for anything. Obama never managed an organization, never led soldiers into combat, was not a governor, was not a mayor, minister or a Congressional leader. In any event, no dirt seems to have stuck to him. Whoever does nothing, makes no mistake. Therefore, beyond the slogans for unity and change, love and hope, it is hard to know what kind of president he wants to be.

Those closely following the American political scene are fixated on Obama. Magazines put him on their covers like a movie or pop star. Among those who care for Israel's interests, there is reason for concern: For example, the panel of experts that Haaretz convenes monthly to rank the potential candidates for the presidency boycotts him. They note that the supporters of the front-runner are left-wing Democrats and voters whose views on Israel are less positive than those of the average American voter.

The fact that Obama has a fighting chance to be a presidential candidate reflects the obvious weakness of the American system, which is capable of tossing the leadership of a superpower, the most important job on the planet, to a person whose leadership has never been tested. But this also reflects the system's strength: The old is replaced by the new, the tired with the fresh, the insider by the outsider.

Obama's sudden rise in politics reflects the tremendous thirst for new faces. He comes from a generation that is willing to admit to having smoked marijuana as a rite of coming of age. And the color of his skin does not fit the stereotype. He, like the most popular black statesman to date, Colin Powell, is not "a real African-American." His family history does not carry the weight of humiliation and guilt from the age of slavery.

There are Israelis who see possibilities in Obama: The two presidents who invested the greatest effort to bringing peace to Israel and its neighbors were nearly as foreign to the mainstream as he is - Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, who were both anonymous governors of less important states, and no one could have guessed the Israeli conundrum would fascinate them. Whoever prefers this sort of president may have hope for the next generation. Sometimes, it actually works out.

More American politics on Rosner's Domain:

The Israel Factor: Ranking the American Presidential candidates.

Political notes: Obama, Kerry, McCain, Soros.