For what it’s worth, I was struck by this NYT op-ed by Johnson biographer Robert Caro back in August. Caro pinned his piece to Obama’s convention speech, but what remained with me was the remarkable transformation he described in LBJ:From good ol’ Texas pol to civil rights leader. Such developmentis something to be hoped for, indeed expected, in any leader as they assume high office. Perhaps it is also something for both fans and foes of Obama to ponder.

David Gibson is director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University and an occasional contributor to Commonweal.

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