The bloom hasn’t exactly come off the rose

But has it started to fade? Some are asking new questions about Barack Obama now. Which takes some daring, given all the adulation of the candidate, much of it well deserved appreciation of his gifts and skills, some of it the cult of personality.

I’m not concerned about that plagiarism thing. It was embarrassing, and he should have used those words with a nod to the man who first uttered them, but it happens all the time in public life that memorable thoughts and inspiring messages get instantly woven into the talk of the moment. I don’t think it undercuts Obama’s credibility as an orator who inspires by his own visions.

But here’s what’s starting to come up in some corners of political analysis, the questions about Obama’s viability as an actual leader in the real day job of running the country.

How exactly would all this unity he talks about come to pass?

How is a 47-year-old novice going to unify highly polarized 70-something committee chairs? What will happen if the nation’s 261,000 lobbyists don’t see the light, even after the laying on of hands? Does The Changemaker have the guts to take on the special interests in his own party — the trial lawyers, the teachers’ unions, the AARP?

The Gang of 14 created bipartisan unity on judges, but Obama sat it out. Kennedy and McCain created a bipartisan deal on immigration. Obama opted out of the parts that displeased the unions. Sixty-eight senators supported a bipartisan deal on FISA. Obama voted no. And if he were president now, how would the High Deacon of Unity heal the breach that split the House last week?

That was a mess, that breakdown yet again in Congress. These are fair questions. The piece even ends on a whispy note, allowing that the magic may not fade after all.

And if it doesn’t, Hillary Clinton has a plan.