Republican and Conservative political analysis and commentary

The Miami Herald does some vetting of Barack Obama today:

Barack Obama says if he were president, he'd take politically courageous stands while forging the consensus needed to enact universal healthcare, immigration revisions, global warming legislation and a withdrawal from Iraq.

His three-year record in the Senate, however, offers little evidence that he can do what he's promising. His party was in the minority for his first two years, and in the third he began campaigning for president and missed lots of time on Capitol Hill. He was absent from or only partly involved in some key bipartisan efforts to head off stalemates on judicial nominations, immigration and Iraq war policy.

''He is asking us to believe he can do something he has yet to do,'' said Michael Fauntroy, an assistant professor of public policy at George Mason University.

However, he's advocated ambitious healthcare expansion and largely staked out Senate positions with or to the left of his party's leaders. National Journal, a respected research publication, rated him the most liberal-voting senator of 2007. Hillary Clinton ranked 16th. The public policy magazine found Obama's votes the 10th most liberal in 2006 and the 16th most liberal in 2005.

Some others said they hadn't seen much evidence of Obama's desire or ability to cut deals, bring together disparate forces or engage on legislation that didn't fit into the political narrative he wants to shape for himself.

Hat tip:
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