Packin' Heat

I was astounded when I read that Obama, at a political event in Philadelphia, promised to "bring a gun" if the presidential election became a "knife fight." Besides the fact that threats of physical violence seem more appropriate in a Zimbabwean election than they do in a contest featuring an exponent of post-partisan "new politics," Obama's boast is counterproductive as well. Obama has succeeded by appearing to offer a fresh, new vision of conflict-free consensus politics. If this vision is achievable only through resort to threats of gun violence, the American public will surely recoil (pun intended).