The Grouchy Dad Or Charismatic Kid

(CBS)  This column was written by CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.

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Two-hundred thousand people is no small crowd. I'm not sure two-hundred thousand people would show up if the rolling stones gave a free concert in Berlin.

It surely is a big deal that a U.S. politician who could become the next president of the United States can draw a crowd that large. Yet, what it means exactly is not clear.

Germans can't vote. But, if they could, Barack Obama would win in a landslide. Here at home, polls show it's a lot tighter. A couple of percentage points separate senators Obama and John McCain. And in some of the crucial swing states McCain has a slim lead.

I know it's early. From an image standpoint you'd think the week belonged to Obama. Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank…whew. But, John McCain managed to get him self on TV too…and I wonder if what he said spoke louder than the pictures coming back from Europe and the Middle East. The stern father lecturing us that his young rival has it wrong.

Who will it be America, the grouchy dad, or the charismatic kid?
By Harry Smith