Barack Obama: The 2008 Adlai Stevenson?

Josh Marshall’s reflections on Obama’s campaign, plus Maureen Dowd’s comment on Arthur Schlesinger’s diaries, including his observations about Stevenson and Obama, made me think, along with MoJo Dowd, that the two Illinoisians may indeed come from similar political molds.

Let’s take the analogy a bit further.

Is John Edwards then 2008’s Jack Kennedy? Arguably, though Elizabeth Edwards ain’t Jackie, and there’s no Camelot in either North Carolina trial lawyering nor hedge-fund operations.

And, Hillary Clinton? Perhaps a more feminine, and much suaver, though not necessarily kinder and gentler, 2008 LBJ?

In this analogy, going yet further, Bill Richardson is 2008’s Hubert Humphrey, right on some big issues, but without the traction to win. Chris Dodd might be today’s Pennsylvania Gov. Bill Scranton.

Dunno where we’d place Biden or Kucinich. But, we could call Mike Gravel today’s Harold Stassen, perhaps.