Interesting column in the UK Times: The Democrats have squandered the chance of a lifetime:

Under pressure in a Democratic primary, Mr Obama has sounded just like any other tax-raising, government-loving Democratic politician. Worse, he has revealed himself to be a member of that special subset of the party’s liberal elite – a well-educated man with a serious superiority complex.

His worst moment of the campaign was when he was caught telling liberal sophisticates about his anthropological observations on the campaign trail…

The myth that Obama transcends politics and ideology has been smashed, permanently. From himself, his wife, and their friends, there is now a rich audio and video trail of evidence that will be used extensively in the fall to demonstrate that John McCain is the only candidate for president Americans should feel comfortable with.

How ironic that McCain, the least attractive candidate for so many Republicans, will be able to position himself as the candidate Americans can relate to. I guess that’s the best the GOP can hope for in a Democrat year.

UPDATE: More on the same theme here:

As people begin to learn about this just-arrived pretender, the magic dissipates. He spent six weeks in Pennsylvania. Outspent Hillary more than two to one. Ran close to 10,000 television ads — spending more than anyone in any race in the history of the state — and lost by 10 points.

And not because he insufficiently demagogued NAFTA or the other “issues.” It was because of those “distractions” — i.e., the things that most reveal character and core beliefs.

Obama had a good thing going when he was simply a guy with a good speaking style. Now, the tabula rasa has been filled in.