Op-Ed Columnist - Where’s the Landslide? - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

the election is becoming about Obama and that is a problem. He does not inspire confidence and Brooks makes a good point about him lacking a "base" or foundation. McCain's people have been very good at getting under the skin of the Obama campaign and running a guerrilla war with the Web ads. Obama does suck out all the air in the media room, but he is fighting battles on McCain's time and place.

That being said, this is a Democratic year. It is very early and Obama does have a lot of time to introduce himself to the people of the United States. He needs to be one of us. He needs to be the Midwesterner with a mother from Kansas. The guy who's a winner in the meritocracy, something you want your kids to be. Instead of repeating hope all the time, he needs to make it clear why hope is important and how it has shaped his life and vision. Then he needs to tie it white dudes that like guns.

The type of fervor he elicits actually turns off people. All you see is a buch of idealistic kids saying that their parent's values are bad. I see the rise of another silent majority in this generation gap. McCain is seperating Obama from the people he needs to win. While it may not be the most elegant strategy, he is doing what he has to. BTW , it's working.