Bashing Joe Klein is not as fun as you might think. His utter disregard for facts and unwillingness to present sober, reflective analysis are more embarrassing than aggravating. It?s generally best to ignore him.

But Klein?s latest tribute to President Obama offers good fodder for discussion:

He came to us as the ultimate outsider in a nation of outsiders ? the son of an African visitor and a white woman from Kansas ? and he has turned us inside out. That he leads us now is a breathtaking statement of American open-mindedness and, yes, our native liberality. Even before his first act as President, and no matter how he fares in the office, he stands as a singular event in our history.

That?s another way of saying the American people have voted for a symbol of ?progress,? no matter whether the man behind that symbol is worthy of their faith.

If Klein were capable of focusing on his current subject matter the trademark sarcastic pessimism he?s honed during the last eight years, he might be able to spot the potential danger in considering Obama a success story before he?s accomplished anything. Alas, I?m not going to hold my breath that Klein has it in him.