Posted by
John Caile on Thursday, February 05, 2009 11:00:38 AM
Obama's ability to pilot a nation is being seriously called into question. Arguably the least experienced man ever to hold the office, only weeks into his administration, he has already been beset by failure.
His "stimulus" package has been nose-diving in the polls, as more and more voters discover that it is nothing but a huge, budget-busting increase in government give-aways, much of it ear-marked for truly questionable activities.
His first cabinet appointments have been a disaster - several, like Tom Daschle, have withdrawn after being caught as major tax cheats. Others have suddenly "dropped out" without any explanation, leading to serious concerns about the so-called vetting process - did they do ANY serious investigations at all?
Iran has seen fit to throw down the gauntlet - they have basically told Obama "we're going nuclear, and there's nothing you can do about it." Obviously, they have little fear of the young President, and they are not shy about saying so.
Obama's latest announcement simply validated the view that he is a closet socialist - he proposed a salary cap for executives receiving government "bailout" money, but then made frightening references to extending such controls to ALL businesses.
All of this has lead to Obama's own approval ratings plummeting 20 points in just days. And his latest speeches have done nothing to reverse the trend - they are little more than a collection of the same bland bromides repeated endlessly during the campaign.
Perhaps more telling is the fact that the first time he felt the heat, the new President reacted by running out of the kitchen - after a hasty "I screwed up" comment, he ran to join his wife talking to a bunch of 2nd graders rather than face the press about his cabinet debacle.
We are in tough times - we need a tough, rational, and savvy leader. As the veil of "hope and change" is pulled away, it shows a man disturbingly lacking in these qualities. Just a week or so ago, Obama embarrassingly couldn't even find his way out of the oval office - this may turn out to be a metaphor for his entire administration...time will tell.