What the hell just happened? Obama went from giant slayer and man of the people to cocksure overachiever in the matter of a couple of weeks. He's stumbled badly since sewing up the nomination, and he needs to step up or get trampled.

Obama's even getting flackon the left--see Nader, Ralph--and the netroots is abuzz with disaffection over FISA and Obama's not-too-subtle shift to the center for "general election mode."

I'm a bit concerned, and would be more concerned if McCain weren't so badly flubbing his own campaign. I think calls for Obama to focus on poverty and real economic issues are correct. I always thought, since the Edwards endorsement, that Obama was going to make a central theme of his election the economic populism that Hillary Clinton supporters ate up in the primaries.

Hopefully, with Hillary stepping bac iunto the limelight on behalf of Obama, the Dems can unify the party and make a united front on economic issues that affect poor and struggling Americans. I don't think Obama can afford not to use Hillary's working-class white advantages to bolster his image among these groups.