I love how Obama answers seemingly impossible questions from the press

[mtnsnake]

...questions that have most other politicians stammering, fumbling, and skirting the question by giving an answer that doesn't even apply to the original question.

For example, on Meet The Press this morning, Tim Russert showed clips from a couple of years ago of him asking Obama whether he would run for President in 2008. Each time Obama told Russert (and I'm, paraphrasing), "No, I will finish my term as Senator and I won't be running for President in 2008."

Russert then showed a later clip from October of 2006 of him interviewing Obama again, after Obama had let it be known that he was interested in the possibility of running for President. In that clip, Russert showed Obama the previous clips from 2004 of him flat out denying a presidential run in 2008, trying to make Obama look like a flip-flopper. He asked Obama how he could say one thing in 2004 about NOT running and another thing in 2006 about him RUNNING. Russert really put him on the spot.

The answer Obama gave Russert was short, simple, clear, and honest. Here's what he said, and again I'm paraphrasing:

"Well, Tim, that's the way I was thinking back THEN."

How brilliant is that...and easy? Russert had no comeback.

[Justitia]

1. I agree, it's a strength of his. And I like it. -eom

[beaconess]

2. And I love that Russert and the others acknowledged how refreshing it was to get a straight answer

from a politician.

People don't mind politicians changing their minds. What we're sick of is politicians pretending they DIDN'T change their minds at all, that they really meant that all along, we just didn't understand them.

[Eurobabe]

3. That's the one trait I find most refreshing about Barack, his honesty

I really think that is most of what people want in a politician. Someone who tells it like it is. No bullshit.

Asshat fooled us once, made a fool of us, fooled us twice, er...you know the rest. * is the LAST person besides Darth Chain-Knee on the face of the earth who I would want to drink a beer with!

[JeffR]

4. You're right

He manages to do this spontaneously and without apparent effort. He doesn't come across as if he has a filing cabinet of talking points and canned responses in his skull. He impresses me more and more.

[AtomicKitten]

5. He is such a breath of fresh air.

The maddening equivocation we have been treated to in the past made me want to tear my hair out. Obama is asserting himself from the get-go, planting his feet firmly, and not taking any crap from the talking heads.

Gobama.

[Bucky]

6. Well, I would've preferred a rabbit punch to Russert's adam's apple

But I guess honesty is a close second.

[Imagevision]

7. Obama's ability to answer basically any question off the top is what makes him real, how often

has Bush answered even the most trivial question without looking down at his script. Bush without teleprompters would have never given one speech!