The Washington Post comes pretty close today to figuring it out. With Senator Obama… there is no “there” there.
On Policy, Obama Breaks Little New Ground – Washington Post (subscription required)
When Obama changed his mind and decided to run for president after only two years in the Senate, however, he effectively dismissed the importance of policy proposals, declaring in one speech in early 2007, “We’ve had plenty of plans, Democrats,” and in another: “Every four years, somebody trots out a white paper, they post it on the Web.” He cast his “new kind of politics” in terms of his ability to transcend divisions and his unique biography and offered few differences on issues from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and the other Democratic presidential candidates.
Obama has not emphasized any signature domestic issue, or signaled that he would take his party in a specific direction on policy, as Bill Clinton did with his “New Democrat” proposals in 1992 that emphasized welfare reform or as George W. Bush did with his “compassionate conservatism” in 2000, when he called on Republicans to focus more on issues such as education.
Heather Higginbottom, who runs Obama’s policy office at the campaign’s Chicago headquarters, cited education as one area in which Obama offers ideas that are not traditionally Democratic, arguing that the problem is not all about schools or funding, but about parents who let their children watch too much television.
In part, Obama’s approach reflects the broad consensus that has developed during the Democratic primaries. Unlike Republicans — many of whom disagree with McCain on issues such as global warming and immigration — Democratic presidential candidates, the party’s leaders in Congress and Democratic voters largely agree on an agenda.
It is an agenda hatched in 1972 by George McGovern and reborn on Dec 11, 2000. Of course Obama is hiding behind “Change and Hope, Hope and Change.”  There is nothing to him but hot air and empty rhetoric.   His failure and disinterest to visit Iraq since 2006, or Afghanistan at all, proves he is not interested in facts, but simply another typical pandering politician of the first liberal order.
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
Dec 11th? That ain’t Pearl Harbor Day. I’m guessing that was the date of the Ayers/Dorhn launch of the good ship Lamb of Chicago. I hope it doesn’t become a federal holiday any time soon.
Jimmy who???
We Republicans know there’s no “there” there, and that Obama’s “change” is vaguely defined. What does he want to change about America? From liberty to statism? Probably. From a strong defense to a weak mother-may-I internationalism? I’d guess that too. Obama’s change is chump change. Hopefully enough moderate Democrats will realize this too. My dad is a lifelong Democrat, but he hates Hillary Clinton and distrusts Obama, and says he will consider voting for John McCain.
Parents let their children watch too much TV? Japanese kids watch at least as much TV and get consistently higher test scores. It’s all about standards. You can blame SpongeBob SquarePants or monetary allocations, but without the standards, all the money and non-watching of TV won’t change things.
Dec 11, 2000: The date the US Supreme Court ruled on Bush v. Gore.