The Icarus effect

The pundits tell us that a drawn-out campaign benefits Obama more than Clinton: when one candidate is more cuddly, Charisma x Time = Votes. Me, I'm thinking we might be seeing the wave crest -- and recede -- not because of anything Obama's doing, really, but because any movement that builds a rabid core tends to displace moderate adherents. This essay sounds the warning nicely, and I've seen other similar sentiments recently. The fanatics won't get the well-advised grip, of course, because that's the nature of fanaticism.

I'll get back to writing about the cats soon, I promise.