Obama the Softy?

According to an article I read in the November addition to Time magazine, Obama's numbers in the polls aren't as high as some might like, especially after the October 10th Democratic debates on MSNBC. According to Time:

"[Obama] has been more herbivore than carnivore in debates...in the days leading
up to the Oct. 30 Democratic debate: a fevered, unsolicited-advice orgy, none of
the advice was substantive, of course. It was all about tactics. He had to make
his move or lose...and so, there he was onstage next to Clinton the night before
Halloween and not exactly dressed as an assassin. He took his shots,
judiciously - and more comfortably as the evening wore on."

Obama may have been criticised in the media and elsewhere for his less than stellar performance in the debate, however, no one can deny he is still a major contender in the Democratic presidential race. Obama seems to answer the questions straight out even when the answer may be hard truth a voter may not want to hear. At the end of the Time article, the author tells a story about when a mother asked if he would consider extending Social Security to stay-at-home moms. Obama explained simply "No," explaining further the financial repercussions of doing so. I think a lot of candidates in that situation would have cleverly dodged such a question and moved on to the next. Keeping in mind the uphill battle our country is facing with the war in Iraq, global warming, badly damaged relations abroad, and problems at home with border security, social welfare programs and violence on our streets, the time for being politically correct is far over. It is time for straight talk and more action. This is why every American should be paying attention to the candidates and to the issues because whoever takes over the White House next year, will be dealing with all of these issues and will be cleaning up the mess the Bush administration has made. We should at least know who we are dealing with and who we are going to be sending in to do the job.