Given America’s entanglements in foreign affairs, and its nameless fears of other countries, Obama is perceived as too soft and McCain, the hard-boiled torture survivor, appears the grittier man. Joe Biden, Obama’s vice-presidential candidate, a long time foreign relations monitor, an initial supporter of the war in Iraq and later a critic of its mismanagement, will serve as a counterbalance to Obama. For the Democrats, Biden will hopefully be seen as the hardline voice steering Obama’s principled, albeit too idealistic, shoulder.

At a New Orleans cafe the next morning, the curly haired boy in his early twenties who served me my coffee said he supported Obama. He talked about doing the right thing and changing America. Like most young Obama supporters, his enthusiasm seemed buoyed by a sense of Obama’s personality and vitality, rather than by the concrete matter of issues. Another café regular, a middle-aged man in Bermudas, came in and overhearing our conversation, piped in, “Obama, Oh Please!” He was the only McCain supporter in his family. “You know what Obama is, he is slick, much too slick” he said, spitting out “slick” like he might have said “scum”. “He keeps changing his mind and going back on what he says,” he said, referring to Obama’s changed views on the timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. “McCain says what he means and he never goes back on it.” “What about taxes?” I said, since McCain had changed his mind on discontinuing the Bush tax cuts. “Taxes,” he sighed, “Yes, I know, my wife reminds me about that one every evening.”

... contd.