As a last word before bedtime:
Sometimes my country genuinely makes me feel ill.
Obama is a two-faced, weakling. Seen by some of us liberal democrats as grossly unprepared and uncertain, Obama has backpedaled more and more, away from his vision of hope for America's future--positive thoughts about the economy, healthcare, housing and education, to a much more conservative stance, mainly focusing on foreign policy and tax cuts and the usualmindless, greed and power-driven Republican palaver.
He is a good speaker, but has lousy human relations skills. He's no diplomat, that much is certain. Rather than let the Clinton's do what they do best--speak about positive change, stress the good things that happened, when Bill was in power: NO wars, NO national debt, NO recessions, instead, Obama is literally forcing Clinton to talk about foreign policy, one of Clinton's weaker points! What an arse Obama is!
To me, Obama is more like Bush than McCain is. By that, I mean Bush is a very weak, immature person...he is, or rather, was, very good at relating to the "commoners," but in reality, he's weak, 'cos he doesn't listen to ANYONE's advice, but like a spoilt child he does whatever HE wants to do, and if anyone tries to restrain him, Bush throws a genuine temper-tantrum.
Now, Obama is also weak, but for different reasons. He doesn't listen to his heart, but listens too much to advisors--who are too often, giving the man the wrong damn advice! Already, a LOT of Obamas major key spporters--including many celebrities, famous authors, heads of major liberal charities and think-tanks---are slowly backing away, very quietly and carefully. They've begged the man to get back on track, and stay with the pulse of the people--but Obama is refusing to listen to the voices of reason, and instead seems to be solely relying on his "professional" council.
In other words, Since early this year, Obama has steadily turned from the Great New Hope, into Just Another Politician. Same old, same old, is the message that we liberals who are listening between the lines, are getting from the candidate.
We democrats win elections by swinging the southern voters. Obama seems to reject that established fact, glossing over his race (how's that for irony?) genuinely assuming blindly, that southern black voters will swing those states to the point, where he doesn't need the Southern Anglo-Protestant white male votes. In dumbing himself down by appeasing Israel and the anti-Iraq/Iran/Russia republican voters, Obama is bending over backwards--or really, just bending over, for the conservative vote, and in doing so, he is farting in the face of tens of thousands of his previously loyal supporters. My neighbour bragged that he'd always voted republican, but that he "really liked" what Obama was saying, "lately." This would be the drunken redneck neighbour who thinks bombing the hell out of Iraq, Iran and Russia would be a splendid idea, mind you.
I mean, it's like the man is being paid by the republicans to throw the election! And, maybe his is.
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On the other hand, the republicans seem to not only want to destroy all of the Middle-east, Russia, parts of Asia and Cuba, now they are going after their fellow Americans.
The Democratic convention is coming to Denver, and the republicans have set up a press and public relations centre, to counter the various speeches of the dems. However, what are the republicans calling this nerve centre? Their "WAR ROOM."
That's right, the conservative republicans are so mindlessly aggressive, that even when they are merely counter-acting speeches ("freedom" is such a subjective term to these people--when THEY talk it's free speech. When anyone says a word against them, it's anti-American propaganda) the republicans take delight in showing their dictatorial bullying tactics.
I wouldn't be surprised if the neo-cons in Denver, ringed the convention center with tanks and threatened to imprison Obama in Cuba indefinately, as a terror suspect.
SeasideMan
Pro 
There's another way to look at this. In a two party system such as that in both America and The UK, it's inevitable that both ends of the spectrum have to move towards the centre to gain enough votes to get elected. Thus, Obama is becoming more and more centrist to appeal to as wide a spread of people as he can. There's no way round this without a radical shake-up of the system.
Tom.