Conservative activist Fran Eaton writes this week that after reading a USA Today op-ed by Sen. Barack Obama she concludes that he is both “dangerous” and “brilliant.” Dangerous, I assume, to the Republican cause.

If he were to wilt when challenged, he would be harmless and ineffective. But his consistent, calm responses and the confidence he displays in his own worldview is something conservatives in Illinois could learn from and incorporate into their own public discourse.

Obama took some heat after he gave a recent speech about faith, politics, liberals and conservatives. Some Democrats, particularly activist bloggers, thought he was attacking them with hackneyed conservative talking points. Obama shot back that he was misunderstood and that the initial press reports were seriously flawed. (Personally I thought it ironic that so many bloggers who regularly slam the mainstream media for getting the story wrong relied on some pretty bad MSM reporting instead of the raw text for their attacks on Obama.)

After reading the speech and then the refined version in USA Today, I’ve concluded that Obama may have assumed he could be cautious with his words and that reporters and his target audiences would understand what he was getting at. It doesn’t work that way. You have to make yourself clear and/or then you have to make sure your PR staff “helps” the reporters understand what it is you were trying to say. He did neither. So, an interesting speech about a journey of understanding became yet another intraparty wedge issue for the hapless Democrats.

But go read the op-ed and tell us what you think.