Obama Serves Waffles

Would you like some blueberries with that? -- Picture courtesy of biggestmenu

by blogSpotter
Up to now, I’ve gone pretty easy on Obama – he faces an enormous set of unique issues and I agree with his basic, progressive approach. Coming on the heels of George W. Bush (rated @ fourth from the bottom by national historians), there’s enormous contrast here – an opportunity to set oneself apart.

TRIBUNALS

Imagine my surprise when Obama served up a plate of waffles last week. He decided to “fix”, not revoke Bush’s military tribunals. He also decided to withhold photos of detainee abuse. Doing these things incurred the immediate wrath of the ACLU and Human Rights Watch – the latter group is planning a law suit. Obama described the tribunals as an “enormous failure” during his campaign. These flip-flops are heaped on top Obama’s extension of Bush’s warrantless wiretap program and escalation of the Afghan war. You might say he’s served up a side order of grits and bacon.

His defenders, aka apologists, have rushed forward to say, “Whoa – he’s ending torture, hearsay evidence and closing Guantánamo.” Well 2 of those 3 are a matter of degree and hard to establish. Some GOP centrists (e.g., Lindsey Graham) are delighted to be sitting in IHOP with Obama, who has hopped onto a conservative Bush strategy. “This will afford us an opportunity to forge a comprehensive policy,” Graham says – truer words were never said by Cheney or Ilsa the She-wolf of the Nazis.

Yes I’m disappointed and you could say the honeymoon is over. It’s mid-May so Obama was treated to a long honeymoon. This leads me to another area of colossal disappointment…

CARS

I thought that our national government’s bailout and involvement in the GM/Chrysler travails was to avoid the pain of a national paralysis – paralysis of the nation’s auto supply chain. Imagine my disappointment to see that dozens of factories and thousands of dealerships are being shuttered. We are so NOT OVER this great recession...

We are well past the time for a stringent gas guzzler tax that applies to trucks and SUV’s as well as cars. This measure would do more for a permanent mind-set change than anything else and would even help balance the budget. The only ray of sunshine is that the Obama team has just mandated that cars and trucks must be 30% more fuel efficient by 2016.

In the final analysis, we have to admit something about our glib, model handsome, suave, smooth-sailing President. We have to realize that he’s a mere mortal, subject to the arm-twisting of those around him. How far will he allow the progressive program of his campaign to be twisted? Stick around at the metaphorical IHOP – I have a feeling that some French Toast and hash browns are forth-coming.

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