George,

Though Barack Obama may have chosen his words poorly, the phenomenon he described is well documented in Thomas Frank's insightful book, What's the Problem with Kansas.

I understand McCain trying to exploit Obama's comments as the GOP attack dogs are masters at portraying Democrats as out of touch elitists. But for the Clinton campaign to jump on it, especially given that Bill Clinton said essentially the same thing in 1992 when running for president the first time, is a sign of how desparate they are to stop Obama.

The problem for the Clinton campaign is that Obama appears to have some of that Ronald Reagan teflon. Neither the Jeremiah Wright flap or the recent "bitter" comments appear to have hurt him much if the polls are to be believed.

Social psychologists tell us that we are more forgiving of those individuals who are perceived as likeable and attractive. Barack Obama is, in my view, just such a person. Which is one of many reasons why I think he will eat John McCain's lunch in the fall.

Jeffrey C. Fracher, Ph.D. (Electronic mail, April 14, 2008)