Very shortly a proud American event will unfold in Washington as the peaceful transition of power will once again take place. What also will happen will be the beginnings of a general disappointment for the winning side.
For those Americans who think the new president is going to be some major agent of change and that we will be making any dramatic swings in policy in domestic or foreign affairs will soon find out that won’t be the case. Obama is moving away from them and towards the policy of the people and administration that he defeated. Obama won as an unabashed Leftist but he will be making a run to the center as fast as he can.
He will not be opening dialog with Iran or North Korea. Hamas and Hezbollah will not be bargaining partners and he probably not lower the foolish Cuban embargo or repeal NAFTA.
There will be no dramatic break through in the Middle East, he will not bring troops home from Iraq any faster than a Republican might have. He will be escalating the violence in Afghanistan and more than likely will be injecting the American military power in the Sudan or Somalia or both.
If he does empty Guantanamo what is he going to do with the hardened militants that we have captured and housed there? Shifting them to another country does not seem to be an alternative. If he releases them what happens the first time one of them is implicated in the murder of Americans?
His choices on the economy are limited and his administration will continue what President Bush began in the latter stages of his presidency to deal with the economic crisis. In fact, Obama’s stimulus package may take on a Republican look which will include a major tax cut.
Already he is back pedaling on many of his campaign promises and now refers to how we will have to sacrifice. The early stages of his preparations have had stumbles that are noteworthy. His nomination of Governor Richardson quickly came undone. He first rejected the idea of seating Roland Burruss and now seems to have been embarrassed and out maneuvered by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
His support of Timothy Geithner for Treasury Secretary opens up some questions very early on about his judgement. Obama knew that Geithner had failed to pay income taxes yet appointed him anyway. In a country where paying taxes is largely voluntary, how do you put a man in charge of tax collection who knowingly avoided paying his taxes and only ponied up when he got caught?
The Boston Globe opined that it was unlikely that his appointment would be derailed because he is so “brilliant.” Of course the Globe fails to point out that if he is so brilliant how come he can’t pay his taxes like the rest of us?
It is too early to pass any judgment on the Hillary Clinton nomination for Secretary of State but it can be said that she is without much experience for the job and much like many of Obama’s other appointments, leftovers from the Bill Clinton administration are hardly the change we have been waiting for.
Leon Panetta is another good example. Although he served as a former white house chief of staff what exactly in that experience qualifies him to be director of the CIA? A good many Democrats in the senate had the good sense to question Obama’s judgment on the Panetta selection.
The appointment of Eric Holder as Attorney General raised some eyebrows because of Holder's involvement in the Clinton era Marc Rich pardon. Apparently Rich is the only member of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List ever to be pardoned.
Inauguration day will soon be on us and lofty talk and ideals will soon be translated into action. Let’s hope that Obama is what most people think he is. Is he a skilled politician with new ideas and directions that make for real and positive change in the country or is he simply a rookie who got lucky and is in over his head? The presidency is a job that will soon expose his strengths and weaknesses in short-order.
