Show Don't Tell

This is a Nagourney piece, so it's always going to have that "Democrats in disarray" patina to it, but one longstanding piece of advice I'd have for Sen. Obama is this:

Instead of, for example, telling the world that you're going to take a sharper tone, just actually take a sharper tone. There's no need to telegraph a punch, as it diminishes the impact. Obama is often too willing to play commentator and too unwilling to play candidate.

Now I agree with a fair bit of this post by Tim Fernholz that Obama actually has been hitting back, it's just that the traditional media has amplified the McCain attacks more. But I really don't need to hear "we're going to fight" from Obama; just show me with your actions.