David on Barack Obama

“But it's clear that Obama also is running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination — the "Magic Negro."”

“What's frustrating to me sometimes about Obama is that the world seems to disappoint him. Republicans disappoint him, Bashar al-Assad disappoints him, Putin as well.”

“Americans still admire dignity. But the word has become unmoored from any larger set of rules or ethical system. But it’s not right to end on a note of cultural pessimism because there is the fact of President Obama. Whatever policy differences people may have with him, we can all agree that he exemplifies reticence, dispassion and the other traits associated with dignity. The cultural effects of his presidency are not yet clear, but they may surpass his policy impact. He may revitalize the concept of dignity for a new generation and embody a new set of rules for self-mastery.”