A Facility With Hope

[This is Old News. Chronistic Date is April 23, 2008.]

In Roger Zelazny’s Lord of Light, Sam is trying to strike a bargain with Taraka. Sam asks:

“What assurance do you give, Taraka, that this bargain will be kept?”

“My word? I shall be happy to swear by anything you care to name--”

“A facility with oaths is not the most reassuring quality in a bargainer.”

Similarly, a facility with hope is not the most reassuring quality in Obama:

Video: Barack Obama Tries His Hand At Telemarketing
(Relevant portion begins with just over a minute left in the video.)