Posted by
Dan Abbett on Thursday, July 10, 2008 11:55:35 AM
In life, there are fundamental principles that guide our path in this world. For most animals, it is instinct. For the plants, insects and the ebb and flow of our rivers and streams, it is the seasons. For the mortals in this world, you and I, it is a function of our core values, the principles upon which we were raised and the greater moral compass that guides our lives. As we witness the degrees of freedom on the compass that guides Barack Obama, the foundation of his geometry would seem unstable.
There is something unsettling with regard to the way Barack Obama simply glides from one position on the issues to another, without missing a beat. The politically correct glibly refer to it as a "Flip-Flop." If you look at it closer however, "flip-flop" is just a convenient term for disguising a superficial commitment to the issue.
Circumstances and the reality of changing facts in any given situation can be reason to adjust, re-evaluate and take a new direction to solve a problem. To simply change your position to accommodate the immediate is to have no core beliefs, no solid values, no anchor on which to rely. Barack Obama is without anchor, rudder, steering mechanism or driving force. He is an egotistical politician following a template. He does not flip-flop, he is adrift, and simply latches onto whatever floats by.
In spite of the missing attachment to anything rooted in firm commitment, Barack Obama is viewed as the answer for so many who believe charisma alone will fell the walls of their suffering. It is not substance, nor a plan founded upon realistic expectations that they seek, merely the false reassurance that the message of “hope” will somehow transcend reality.
Hope alone however, is an exercise in foolishness unless it is based on more than final desperation. The United States of America is hardly in the throes of desperation, regardless of what those with a selfish and sinister agenda would have us believe. This message reaches the furthest depths of disgust when the one who purveys that hope, is selling false promise, which brings us back to the magical compass of Barack Obama.
In Barack Obama’s political universe, all issues have 360 degrees of rhetorical freedom with Obama at the center. In this way, all positions on all issues are equidistant from each other; therefore, no position taken on any issue can be considered a contradiction. As an added feature to this spherical model, nothing can be construed as a shift to the left or the right, since the point of measurement can start from wherever you choose. You can’t box Obama into a corner; he has an angle for everything.
While some will marvel at the political agility of Sen. Obama to seemingly make all the right moves, it obscures the more important question; what kind of president would Barack Obama be? That question would seem moot however, to the army of consultants, strategists, and handlers, as they plan Obama’s every move, write his speeches and coach his audiences. It may make for great political theater but the actual job of President of the United States is not one of imagery.
Moreover, many have recognized that in the absence of this gaggle of aides, assistants and organizers, Obama’s fluid motion turns to stutters, pauses, ums and ahs. It leads to another question; is Barack Obama simply a manifestation of scripts, special effects and well rehearsed acting? Yes, an actor did become one of our greatest presidents but the office of the presidency is not an act.
When the Democratic primaries began, no one knew who Barack Obama was. Now that he is the presumptive nominee for his party, we still do not have an answer to that question. Is he the staunch liberal his record says he is? Is he the centrist that he is now trying to portray himself? Can he act stand-alone with conviction and purpose in the midst of world leaders or flounder, searching for the words to answer their questions? Most important is the quality of his character. Will he be guided by sound principles, solid judgment and determination or does his moral compass have a broken bubble?