Barak Obama and the art of nuance (Column: 1/23/07)

Illinois Senator Barak Obama is currently the darling of the media, having recently announced the formation of a Presidential exploratory committee. This is perhaps not surprising. He is young, photogenic, articulate, and tends to speak in terms of bringing people together, rather than separating them -- a refreshing breath of air, in a country often bitterly and rancorously divided by partisanship.

However, it's an old saying that any shaft of wheat that sticks its head above its neighbors will get cut down. And so Senator Obama has been drawing fire -- especially from the left -- for being, of all things, "too nuanced." Too nuanced? Give me a break! After years of black-and-white, my-way-or-the-highway rhetoric from both left and right, we could use a little nuance in our nation's political discourse. Actually, we could use a lot.

Now, it is an open question as to whether Senator Obama is really as nuanced in his thinking as his own rhetoric makes him appear: his voting record, what there is of it, reveals a solidly liberal Democrat. But whether Obama proves to be the man the times are calling for or merely a flash in the pan, I repeat that our national discourse could use a large helping of nuance.

I don't think I'm stupid, but I fail to understand why the American electorate is not interested in any opinion or perspective which cannot be boiled down to a 30-second sound bite. Actually, I take that back: I do understand it, all too well. We have become addicted to 30-second sound bites, thanks to at least two generations of TV commercials, and now the internet. This shortening of the American attention span does us a real disservice, because issues of any substance cannot be discussed adequately, still less resolved, in 30 seconds.

Whatever our principles and ideals -- and principles and ideals are good and worthy things, believe me -- the reality is that life happens not in black and white, but in shades of grey. We need someone in the White House who is not only capable of perceiving shades of grey, but of working within them to get things done and move the country ahead in a positive matter. Right now, Republicans and Democrats are solidly dug into their own entrenched positions like the Allies and Germans in World War One, shelling each other back and forth across No-Man's Land.

Something has to give, because just as the physical landscape of France was destroyed by the artillery barrages of WWI, the rhetorical crossfire between left and right is really tearing up the terrain of our national life. The razor-thin margins by which Presidents have been elected, and even the Houses of Congress controlled, in recent years demonstrates the sharpness of the divide, and those of us who are huddled, somewhat uncomfortably, on the middle ground spend more and more of our time looking apprehensively at the armies gathering to the left and right.

I use the term "armies" advisedly, of course. Thankfully, America has been spared the warring of rival militias which has devastated Iraq, Somalia, and many other nations worldwide. Our system still works. But it is seriously strained by the level of rancor, mistrust, and one-upsmanship which has replaced civility and domestic statesmanship on the national scene.

Doctrinal orthodoxy, which may be admirable (to a point) in religion, has become the order of the day in politics. Some Democrats feel that they cannot even be friends with anyone who voted for George Bush, and some Republicans feel the same way about someone who might be willing to vote for Hillary Clinton. This is hardly a recipe for domestic tranquility.

It is, of course, far too early to determine whether Barak Obama is the one to break this philosophical gridlock, and restore a spirit of cooperation, civility, and bipartisanship to American politics. In fact, that is undoubtedly too much to expect of any one person.

Still, someone has to make a start. I firmly believe that we need more nuance and less absolutism; less black-and-white posturing and more willingness to work within the shades of grey which are an inevitable part of politics. If Senator Obama can make that start, more power to him. Time will tell whether he is the best person to fill the Oval Office after the 2008 elections. But whatever else he may or may not be, Obama deserves credit, not blame, for trying to restore the lost art of political nuance.