Barack Obama's worldly upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia, as well as his ties to his father's family in Kenya, are what many liberals love about the candidate. Just by being who he is, Obama is more in-tune with the developing world and global perspectives than any prominent politician in memory. Yet we know that in whispers, dog-whistles, and overt statements, conservatives will attack Obama for these attributes. (They're even attacking him for the diversity of his Chicago neighborhood.) Yesterday, Andrew Sullivan linked approvingly to this Times of India essay on why Obama is a better candidate for Indian interests than McCain. It's worth a read because it's an important international perspective, but also because it contains language the GOP will salivate over (emphasis added):
Such empathy and "connection" to immigrants from the subcontinent is only one part of Obama's plural multi-ethnic background and wide-ranging eclectic education (American, African, even part-Asian) that makes him arguably the most unusual and exciting presidential candidate in US history — more universalist than American. ...
To this day, he carries on his person, among other things, a small metal figure of Hanuman, having become familiar with the Ramayana during his days in Indonesia. ...
Obama, because of a political vision evolved from a more composite upbringing, has already signalled that he is inclined to engage diplomatically with countries such as Iran, which most "thoroughbred" US politicians treat as an enemy.
The American electorate is aligned with the Democratic Party on almost every major issue this year. If Obama loses this election, it will be because he won't be able to overcome attacks based around his biography. His campaign must be thinking hard on how to neutralize the coming mud-slinging -- and bracing itself. Welcome to the general election.
--Dana Goldstein
