Who Is Obama?

One commenter at TPM offers a pretty succinct description that I happen to agree with.

Barack Obama is a temperamental conservative. He is cautious in his approach, measured in his rhetoric, and consensual in his style. Perhaps even more strikingly, he holds tenaciously to his positions in the face of the vicissitudes of politics. The hallmark of his campaign has been his consistency. These are Burkean virtues. But he applies these personal traits to the furtherance of a decidedly liberal agenda. His goals - expanding healthcare, caring for the environment, widening educational and economic opportunity - are of a piece with the Democratic agenda of the past century. His methods - focused on markets, individual responsibility, and economic growth - might be more aptly labeled conservative.

Comments are worth a read, too. These people are smart.