I feel that Obama has really been hurting himself lately, which is not a good thing since he is so closely watched by the media. I've noticed that he has, for quite some time, been avoiding answering controversial questions. Every time a controversial question is posed for him, he seems to make a complete circle around the question when answering it. Therefore, at the end of his answer he really hasn't answered it at all. We can use a story that has recently been in the media as an example of this. Last month at a nationally televised religious forum Obama was asked a question about what he thought of abortion and gave the answer that it was "above my pay grade." He recently admitted that he probably was "too flip" on the issue of abortion. He recently stated that he was trying to communicate that he didn't presume to be able to answer these kinds of theological questions. What I feel he needs to understand is that people want to know his views on these types of issues. Knowing how he feels on issues such as abortion helps the American people feel closer to him or that they know him better. I feel that running for president is more than just about the politics, it's also about getting to know the candidates on a personal level.