Obama's First Leadership Failure

Congratulations may be in order to Senator Barrack Obama (D - Illinois) for apparently securing the Democratic Party's nomination for the Office of President of the United States. Condolences are probably in order for the wider Democratic Party.

Amidst the hubhub of the final primaries, Senator Hillary Clinton's speech set off alarms across the punditry landscape. These know-it-alls claim that Hillary should have conceded; should have urged people to unite behind Obama.

But what of the junior senator from Illinois? This was his first leadership test... how to unite a divided party behind him on the most important, and final, day of the primary season. He failed miserably.

Rather than spend the past few days huddled with Hillary's people to work out a scenario that all could support going forward, Senator Obama apparently awaited regally for the court to curtsy to his glory. As a result, his campaign missed a significant opportunity.

This indecisive leadership, marked by a lack of foresight, does not bode well for the candidates chances in November. Ask former Senator Fred Thompson (R - Tennessee), whose apparent difficulty in pulling the trigger to get in the GOP race made him look indecisive and ruined any momentum he might have had. Actions often speak louder than words. The electorate does not elect weak leaders.

UPDATE: As of about 11:20pm EDT, CNN and other news networks started reporting that Senator Obama had begun to reach out to the Clinton campaign. Too little, too late... we'll see.