For a candidate who has insinuated that Sen. John McCain is too old to handle the stress of the presidency, Sen. Barack Obama has a strange way of demonstrating his own abilities. He will provide an example of his own limitations on Friday, when he visits Columbus.
It has been no secret thus far during the campaign that Obama does best in highly controlled, scripted appearances. He plans one for Friday, when he will go to Columbus — to appear at an invitation-only event for a limited number of senior citizens.
Meanwhile, McCain has begun the series of “town hall” meetings in which he asked Obama to participate. As one last week in which McCain faced some questions that were difficult to handle demonstrates, the format is a rough-and-tumble brand of campaigning. Obama has yet to agree to participate with McCain.
During the primary election season, Obama insulated himself from reporters who might, after all, have elicited off-the-cuff reactions that could have embarrassed the candidate.
At some point, however, Obama’s preference for friendly, no-surprises crowds will become so evident that he will have no choice but to face McCain, head to head. Confrontation, after all, often is the name of the game in the presidency — and McCain seems more prepared to handle it.
