Our main obstacle in an election against a war hero is to pass the supposed "Commander in Chief Test," and the Obama campaign makes this exponentially more difficult every time we hear that "Barack thinks this" or "Barack will do that." Yes, it's a mouthful, but "Senator Obama" must be his go-to name if he's to be taken seriously on a gut level.

The word "liberal" has become a political obscenity, so when Obama is inevitably smeared as a liberal, he should respond by stating he is a progressive. "Progressive" is a strong, positive word that has little baggage. Obama should also weaken the conservative label by equating it with regression. Here is a basic response Obama could use against charges of liberalism: "I am liberal.