Jeff Goldfien in the ADRNC Newsletter: "I was struck by a statement by Senator Obama, reported in the press yesterday, responding to an accusation by conservative Christian leader James Dobson that Obama was distorting the message of the both the bible and the constitution in his discussions and entreaties to various religious groups and leaders...
Sara Kugler of the Associated Press reported that, "Speaking to reporters on his campaign plane before landing in Los Angeles, Obama said the speech made the argument that people of faith, like himself, 'try to translate some of our concerns in a universal language so that we can have an open and vigorous debate rather than having religion divide us.'" And, according to Larry Rohter of the New York Times, "Mr. Obama on Tuesday accused Mr. Dobson of reducing a complex subject to sound bites. 'I do make the argument that it's important for those like me who think that faith is important, that we try to translate that into a universal language,' he said."
What strikes me about Obama's statement is its pithy summary of both a sophisticated theory of the First Amendment, and a compelling argument for the use of dispute resolution principles in political debate and the resolution of public issues."
It seems like the world is already treating him like the next President. The only question is whether the US electorate is going to go along.