So it has fallen to Susan Eisenhower, of all people, to contrast McCain's choleric and Obama's contemplative temperaments. "Impulsive action has replaced measured and thoughtful response," she lamented. And Obama, she continued, has the temperament to run the country. Never before have the Democrats invoked Ike's slowness to respond as a positive attribute, and in truth, sometimes it was indeed good (his refusal to send troops to Vietnam after the French were driven out) and sometimes not so good (his refusal to publicly condemn Joe McCarthy and to send troops to Little Rock, though, of course, he eventually did). But if Obama can don the mantle of Ike -- and remember, Obama has particular trouble with older voters -- he'll do well.
--Harold Meyerson
