Obama's Voice?

My dear friend Susan Rose has asked:
Do you think Obama will find his voice - and if so, will we like it?
Here is my answer:
Obama is torn between being Mr. Nice Guy with the Great Looks and really going after Hillary full throttle. Only Reagan was ever able to be nice and combative at the same time. And there was only one Reagan.
The longer an opponent waits to go after Hillary the more emboldened she becomes.
And I'm afraid that Obama has already waited too long.
He may catch up somewhat and he may even pull a surprise in the Iowa caucuses. I hope he does because I want to see Democrats all confused and scrambled. But I doubt that he will overtake her. The Clintons are just too Big, too Prepared, too Well Financed, too Well Organized and too Experienced. There's an inevitability about Hillary -- much as there was about Bush in 2000.
A candidate needs to think about what he or she REALLY believes (finding a voice) before running. Once you're running you can't make it up.
Americans always want a leader who is upbeat and optimistic. But they also want a winner -- someone who knows how to fight hard and best his or her opponent. It's not easy to do both.
For now I keep coming back to this: The longer we take a cold, hard look at the reality of the times and the choices that we face the more it seems to come down to one person: Rudy.
BTW: Sue Rose is the founder and guiding light behind the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation which does so much to help young women in need. Visit the Foundation's web site at www.laurenslegacy.org/ and find out how you can help!