Who is Barack Obama?

Of course the appeal is charismatic. Nobody knows what he really believes. The latest flip is on oil drilling... well maybe it's not so bad, we can compromise. He still can't bring himself to credit the surge, but he was forced into admitting that Iraq has turned the corner. The sure-I'll-meet-with-anyone talks with Ahmadinejad evolved into a completely different stance....

Personally, I think these guys have him pegged:

NAFTA:
For the Canadians, a key point of concern was Obama's sharp criticism of the North American Free Trade Agreement. DeMora wrote Wilson that in the Chicago meeting, Goolsbee "candidly acknowledged the protectionist sentiment that has emerged, particularly in the Midwest, during the primary campaign" but reassured Rioux that Obama's NAFTA-bashing "should be viewed as more about political positioning than a clear articulation of policy plans." Three weeks later, Canada's CTV News reported that a "senior member" of Obama's campaign had phoned Wilson personally to advise him to "not be worried about what Obama says about NAFTA."

Wright:
"If Senator Obama did not say what he said, he would never get elected," Wright said. "Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls."

Reparations:
"Let's not be naive. Sen. Obama is running for president of the United States, and so he is in a constant battle to save his political life," said Kibibi Tyehimba, co-chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America. "In light of the demographics of this country, I don't think it's realistic to expect him to do anything other than what he's done."