Who is the Real Obama?

Michael Goodwin wants to know:

The headline in The Washington Post was intriguing: "Obama's Ideology Proving Difficult to Pinpoint." The article turned out to be a charitable discussion of whether the Democratic nominee is moving away from leftist positions he took during the primaries and toward the political center for the general election.

Of course he is. Enough to produce, as someone put it, whiplash. So let's give the topic a headline that directly addresses the doubts: Just who is Barack Obama?

Is he the inspirational juggernaut of the early primaries, the man who promised "change we can believe in" and a new era in American politics? Or is he one more politician whose actions often contradict his words?

Put another way, what does he believe in?

Damned if I know.

Me neither. And frankly, I think that's how Obama wants it, too. Once he can be firmly defined, he becomes a clearer target. By trying to remain the Obamessiah floating above the issues he hopes he can get a pass on whatever he says.