This hyperventilating Time magazine article pretty much endorses Barack Obama for president. Indeed, the man’s calm delivery and soothing personality is definitely popular with voters — in the article, Shelby Steele points out that “White people are just thrilled when a prominent black person comes along and doesn’t rub their noses in racial guilt.”

Amen.

However, the article refuses to touch on one thing: The man is too liberal to be president. It even denies this fact: “He’s a liberal, but not a screechy partisan. Indeed, he seems obsessively eager to find common ground with conservatives.”

He may convey his views in a rational tone, but there isn’t much common ground to be found. As Project Vote Smart’s collection of interest group ratings shows, the man sides, 100 percent, with abortion rights, the NAACP, the National Education Association, AFSCME, the Alliance for Retired Americans and the National Organization for Women. The National Rifle Association gives him Fs; the Illinois Citizens for Handgun Control gave him an A. He has never sided with the Federation for American Immigration Reform on an issue. He tends to oppose tax reform.

I suppose red-staters might like that he was endorsed by the National Beer Wholesalers Association PAC, but the National Journal’s 2005 Composite Liberal Score revealed he voted to the left of 83 percent of Senators. Given that the Senate gives more votes to tiny Northeastern states and thus overstates the left’s sway in this country, he’s probably to the left of more than 83 percent of Americans.

I like the guy and wish him the best, but even with his top-notch skill for oratory he’ll have a hard time getting America to swallow his agenda.

Robert VerBruggen blogs at http://robertsrationale.blogspot.com.