As a Republican consultant, I warn my candidates in the northeast not to be Democrat-lite.  If voters have a choice between a real Democrat or a Republican acting Democrat lite, they will choose the actual Democrat.

This same principle can also be applied to Democrats acting like Republicans.  Why do I mention this? 

President-elect Barack Obama seems to be going Republican lite.  As I watch him reverse his positions to the Republican point of view, I just want to scream from the roof tops so all the liberal media outlets can hear me say, "I TOLD YOU SO.  McCain/Palin were right on the Bush tax cut, the Iraq war and everything else."

For example, this week Barack announced that Robert Gates will continue as Secretary of Defense.  Is it because Gates is now in favor of setting a hard timetable for withdrawing from Iraq?  I don't think so.  Gates has been walking around with a countdown clock in his pocket looking forward to resigning.  The only way Barack could have gotten him to stay is by converting to Gates' position.  The simple truth of the matter is that Barack needs Gates more than Gates needs Barack.  

Then there is the economic reversal.  How many times did we hear Barack say that the first order of business was to repeal the Bush tax cuts?  Now he is keeping them until 2011.

Yesterday, Barack dropped his plan for a windfall tax on oil companies.

From all these Obama flip flops, we can concluded that Republicans were right during the campaign and Obama was wrong.

In 4 years when voters go to the polls again rest assured they will choose a real Republican over a Republican-lite.