The Chronicle of Higher Education feature [1] (Nov. 16, 2007) on Barack Obama quotes me calling him a "professor president" in "the best sense of the word."

Here's what I mean. I took a class from Obama on "Race, Racism, and the Law" at the University of Chicago more than a decade ago. He struck me then as somebody who was too thoughtful and intelligent and nice to become a politician. But I was wrong, and he was right. Obama brings a professor's approach to politics. He thinks in big terms, rather than simply making political calculations based on the polls. He cares about right and wrong, and understands the difficulties in practice of promoting right over wrong.

Obama (as the article reveals) also reflects the professor's viewpoint of listening to all sides and seeking to using persuasion (rather than partisan battles) to be victorious.

Obama is also a "professor president" in the sense of valuing knowledge. You can look at his advisors, from Samantha Power onward, who come from academia and represent the best thinkers in the country. Compare that with Rudy Giuliani, whose advisors like Daniel Pipes and Norman Podhoretz come from right-wing think tanks and have nutty (and scary) views of the world. Just imagine a president who doesn't rely on mediocre political hacks like Dick Cheney to provide the brains of his presidency.

What's unique about Obama is that he goes far beyond a Paul Wellstone-style "professor politician" who brings intelligence to the job; Obama has the capability of a great politician to forge compromises and move the political battlelines.

The Chronicle also has an email interview with Obama [2].