Saturday, June 21, 2008

The Ever Shifting Sands in Obama's Brain

You know how the topography of an Arabian Desert constantly shifts so that no two hours let alone days are the same. You can easily get lost in a desert because there are no markers to guide you. That's the way Obama is presenting himself to us as an ever shifting landscape of ideas (or non-ideas). There is absolutely no way to discern what this man will do once in office; what he stands for; what he's willing to defend to the death. This should be of concern to all Americans, especially in these complicated, world changing and perilous times we live in. Investor's Business Daily has an important editorial of all the shifts so far in Obama's campaign rhetoric. Read it and you decide if this man is fit to be the leader of this country!

...Election '08: In just days, Obama has changed his mind on Iraq, reversed course on campaign finance, volte-faced on NAFTA and backtracked on Social Security. So what does the candidate of change really believe?...

...What to make of all these changes? There are three possibilities, none of which makes the candidate look good.

The sympathetic may dismiss them as Obama coming to his senses and aligning with the mainstream. His new positions are improvements, after all. But they also raise questions about judgment, maturity and consistency.

It's also worth remembering that the shifts came under political pressures to which Obama may be less inclined to submit once elected. Jimmy Carter used to ignore the public like that, too.
Then again, Obama could be an opportunist who'll say anything to carry a swing state, appease anti-war radicals, win over a special-interest group or propitiate wealthy donors. In which case, the political road ahead may get very cynical indeed.

It could also be possible that this is a candidate who'll deceive to get elected only to surprise us later. Unseen forces may be at work. For example, Richard Fernandez, blogger with Pajamas Media, noted that Obama's shifting positions on Iraq track the rise and fall of the business prospects in that country of his Chicago patron, Tony Rezko.

Meanwhile, given Obama's radical political roots, his mainstream talk may be a cover for a more leftist agenda that's otherwise unsalable to voters. Whatever the case, we'll grant that this is "change." Just don't call it change anyone can believe in
. READ

No comments: