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- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Kenneth T. Walsh
Despite setbacks on the political front, President Obama is succeeding where many other politicians have failed -- in the character department. He has become a role model for the kind of traditional values that Americans have long celebrated, as a devoted husband to his wife, Michelle, and a doting father to his two daughters, Malia, 11, and
For years, the Democrats have been criticized by conservatives for lacking "family values." But today, it is Obama, a Democrat, who has emerged as the paragon of personal virtue, and even Republicans see it as a source of political strength.
Obama has received intensive media coverage for his "date nights" with Michelle at restaurants around Washington and for their most famous rendezvous, when they flew to New York for dinner and a Broadway show. He drew some flak for the cost of that trip, paid for largely by the taxpayers. But the larger point is that the Obamas enjoy each other's company and want to keep romance alive in their relationship. That's something every couple can admire.
Obama's commitment to his children is similarly clear. He has attended his daughters' sports and theatrical activities, taken them out for ice cream around D.C., and during official trips introduced them to famous destinations, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Pantheon, and the Kremlin. The president told
Most days, Obama has breakfast and dinner with his family, and he sometimes reads to his daughters at night. He and Michelle are insistent that the girls be brought up with a sense of responsibility.
All this family focus presents a stark contrast to some of the embarrassing personal shenanigans of other politicians. Most recently, there were the admitted infidelities of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Nevada Sen. John Ensign, both Republicans. There was the affair of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. And, of course, there was the lurid case of President Bill Clinton's sexual relationship with former
The advantage of establishing a sterling character has its limits. "It doesn't protect him from the American public's demand that the president's policies be successful,"
AMERICAN POLITICS
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