HRC: The Imperious President?

Watching the last few Democratic debates, the personality similarities and differences between the candidates have begun to surface. While there are no candidates in the group whose policies I will support, there appear to be a number whose personalities are positive in part or in whole.

Certainly Barack Obama seems to be a positive fellow, perhaps the ying to his wife's yang. He pushes a largely positive message with nearly totally positive language. He comes closest, I think, to the otherwise oxymoronic description last used with Hubert Humphrey, he is a "happy liberal," though with a tad too much populism, socialism and international naivete to remain so for long.

John Edwards suffers from the trial lawyers' curse, the need to be believed even when speaking the unbelievable. Edwards excretes from every pore the need to be liked by people he perceives below his station in life.

Poor Bill Richardson. He touts his resume, almost desperate that others will see him as he sees himself (he negotiated successfully with the North Koreans?) while completely blind as to how others see him, as a fellow with a thoroughly inflated resume.

Then there's Hillary, tone-deaf, glass jawed, eternally confusing intelligence with arrogance while demanding deference. If elected, the hubris of her presidency would put that of Richard Nixon's to shame in the shadows.

For those with hearing aids, Joe Biden is the best of the bunch, a thoroughly likable fellow as long as you control the volume control.