President Obama is about to reach the end of this first 100 days in office when April 29th rolls around. Obama wants you to believe that he is keeping his campaign promises and that he has ignited an era of change and prosperity, but as fellow Examiner (and libertarian) Justin Clarke points out in a great article, Obama’s rhetoric can not hide his actions.
Days after being sworn-in, President Obama signed an executive order prohibiting lobbyists from holding administration jobs as part of his campaign promise to “close to the revolving door” between K Street and the government. Two days later, however, he granted himself a “waiver” from these new rules and hired Raytheon lobbyist William Lynn as the No. 2 man in the Pentagram Pentagon.
Obama as candidate promised Americans a “transparent administration” where they would be allowed to read proposed legislation five days before he signs it. Yet in his first month, the President signed three laws in less than five days: SCHIP, the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and the $787 billion dollar “stimulus” package. This is eerily reminiscent of the Bush Administration’s passing of the Patriot Act, which was written before 9/11 and jammed through Congress, whose members were apparently too busy to even read it.
Obama promised to end the wars in the Middle East, and ran as a peace candidate. But Obama has escalated the war in Afghanistan, is ordering the CIA to fire missiles from un-manned drones into Pakistan, and leaving 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq after we “leave” (we are currently building an embassy in Iraq that is bigger than the Vatican. Does any one actually think we’re leaving?). He has recently said that he wants to cut $100 million dollars from the federal budget. Well, Mr. President, since your “surge” in Afghanistan is costing $200 million dollars a day, if you end the occupation war for one day, you would double your goal.
Obama’ Two-Faced presidency is very beneficial to him, and he is reaping the rewards. Americans, understandably exhausted of Obama’s tongue-tied predecessor, are giving him the benefit of the doubt and finding political salvation in his faux-eloquence.
Barely three months after his “historic” election and inauguration, Obama’s policies are mirroring the worst of Bush’s failures, and his slick smile and fluffy, nonsensical poetry he calls “speeches” are allowing him to get away with it.
If Obama keeps this tightrope-walk up, Americans are bound to see through it, and maybe the time 2012 rolls around, we can elect a candidate that preaches and practices real change.
A Little Rebellion 
Right on, Robert. His transparency is a real laugh. Why doesn’t he just call it for what it is, Opaque. All of it has been behind closed doors, secret meetings, etc. Who is he trying to kid anyway?