Great minds think alike II

Fouad Ajami writes a great column in today's Wall Street Journal about how disturbing it is to see large crowds turn out to see the candidates, particularly Obama. He describes Obama thus:

On the face of it, there is nothing overwhelmingly stirring about Sen. Obama...The political genius of the man is that he is a blank slate. The devotees can project onto him what they wish.

Sounds familiar. This is what I wrote over a week ago:

All of this for a man whose record of accomplishment isn't terribly distinguished (Harvard lawyers turned politician aren't exactly a rare breed). That, I believe, is actually the crux of why he generates such feelings of adoration. The flip side of having a thin resume is that you don't have much of an established record. Serving as a blank slate, people can pour all of their wishes and hopes on to him. He's whatever you want him to be.

That's actually what gets me most about this candidacy -- the hero worship. It is deeply disturbing. The unreasoned adoration makes me question the sanity of my fellow citizens. It's almost as though there is a spiritual hole in their lives that Obama -- a mere politician -- somehow fills. It is almost enough for me to fervently wish for his victory, if only to forever shatter the illusions of his followers and shatter their belief in messiah-type political figures once he inevitably proves himself a mere mortal.