I spent a lot of time in the car over the weekend, and as a result heard much radio commentary about Barack Obama’s recently concluded trip to the Middle East and Europe. After getting home, a friend called Sunday evening to chat. In the course of that conversation he asked, “Are you gonna vote for Obama? Is it possible we’ll vote for the same guy this time?”

I’m not part of Obama’s natural constituency, partly because my political inclinations run in other directions but also because I’m instinctively uncomfortable with personality-based movements of any kind, political or otherwise. But frankly, I don’t think my vote will matter. This election is a foregone conclusion. Obama took his global victory lap last week.

It’s hard to imagine any circumstance in which Obama doesn’t win the presidency. The economy went into the tank at a moment most beneficial to him, the media — whose favor John McCain once had to himself — has given Obama a free pass on things like his visits to “57 states,” and his flip-flops are generally accepted to be a sign of pragmatism and realism, rather than political pandering (which is what flip-flops are when performed by, say, Hillary Clinton). In short, nothing sticks to Obama: His flag lapel pin comes off, then reappears. He doesn’t want us in Iraq, but wants a surge in Afghanistan (which has none of the strategic importance of Iraq and twice the difficulty). He couldn’t condemn his controversial minister, then he shunned him. Obama could have taught Ronald Reagan a thing or two about teflon coatings.

None of that bothers me much. I don’t expect spiritual nourishment from political leaders. I want somebody who’s going to run things well, look for opportunities to spend less, and let citizens live their lives as they see fit without nanny-state supervision. Will Obama do those things? Beats the hell out of me. But it sure looks like we’re gonna find out.