John McCain, a "small and ungenerous" "government-lifer" backed by "a country-club membership riled by a change in the Sunday brunch menu." Rich's incisive film-critic prose is always such a joy to read, that one can overlook how observant and insightful he is. Trust him to point out that Hillary and Cain said "I" twice as many times as Obama. Yes, it is all about them! And as Rich says, this election is fundamentally a choice between inclusiveness and health or separateness and disease.

This is an opinion piece and is not meant to be balanced but it is humerus and very sarcastic. Of course I loved every sentence of it. All humor aside the article does raise a good point. Barak Obama represents what might be change to an American public absolutely fatigued and disgusted with the tenor of American politics. Whether Obama is really offering us something new or some feigned euphoria it remains to be seen. The it factor will probably decide this election. Obama has it and McCain doesn't.

All the polling indicates that a large majority see our nation moving in the wrong direction. This article suggests that both Hillary Clinton and John McCain do not understand that point and that Barck Obama succeeded because he did understand.

This opinion piece shows the "big picture" from Frank Rich's perspective, and does so in a wonderfully erudite and stylistically pleasing way. His assertion of the "two Americas" is a particularly effective vehicle for describing the cultural phenomenon we are witnessing. It is hardly a secret that Frank Rich admires Obama and is supportive of his candidacy. The remarkable aspect of this piece is that Rich's comments are informative and persuasive for readers who might reject the degree of contrast between the "two Americas." It also could be argued that McCain's golfing cadre may be more numerous and more influential than Rich takes into account, and Rich does not directly address whether the "newer" America is actually the ... More »

This is an excellent, analytic think piece. He takes the facts of three events (all held on the same night) and shows the great generational, philosophical and worldview differences amongst the three - Obama on one side; Clinton and McCain on the other - the factual differences indicate.

Obviously pro-Obama but nonetheless an excellent opinion article. No low blows and excellently argued. He notes correctly (against common knowledge) that the internet revolution is not exclusively owned and manipulated by the young. Well thought out piece; well written.

At first this article looked like another puff piece for McCain, that changed into a rather balanced analisys of the three.

Give us a break. According to Rich Obama is the second coming of Jesus Christ. Obama's PR flacks would be embarrassed to put out this kind of nonsense. Obama is a typical black Chicago politician trying to act like he is in the middle of he road. He is a sure loser at which point Rich will have lots of material about how racist we still are.

These are heady times in the NYT Op- Ed Dept., and why not? The drama, pathos, and comedy inherent within the confines of the 2008 Presidential Campaign provide a rich (no pun intended) breeding ground for observant and/or talented writers, and Frank Rich is undoubtedly both. Rich contends that two distinctly different visions of America are projected by each party's candidates in this campaign: Obama portends "cheery" positivity, with the notion of inclusion for the voters, whereas McCain is the contentious warrior, his armor perched atop a coat rack, poised to battle for his country. The variation in the message's deliverance, according to Rich, is what separates the two men. Invoking Lesson l-Comm.Arts l0l, (its core ... More »

Although this is a pro Obama story, describing the "wrong" and "right" change according to Mr. McCain, I am surprised that the biggest obama change, the one eschewing lobbyist and corporate money, was not mentioned.

Probably the best editorial I've read this political season about the cultural differences between the two candidates and their visions for the future. The beauty of hyperlinks offers some wonderful diversions including to a hilarious one to a second John McCain's campaign site selling "McCain Golf Gear."