It is clear to most observers of the American political scene that the Democratic presidential choice between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton this year is not a choice between radically different policy or ideological positions. Obama's attractiveness as a candidate depends in large part on his inspirational biography and a sense amongst his supporters that he is a more authentic, less calculating figure who has demonstrated sound political judgment during his years in public service.The wonderful biographical piece in the New York Times about Stanley Ann Dunham Soetoro and this peripatetic, refreshingly open minded woman's influence on her son Barack uncovers many of the sources of Obama's comfort with diversity and his natural empathy for the disadvantaged.
