In an earlier post, entitled "A Prayer In Baltimore", I stated that "I really do want to be supportive of the Obama administration where I can." In that same article, I went on to say that "There are many issues where I'm in disagreement with our incoming President" and that "When and if the Obama administration becomes proactive with (such issues) ... you can look for me to oppose that as strenuously as I know how." When I wrote that, I was thinking of issues coming up one-by-one. However, in just the first few weeks of the Obama administration, I'm finding that I'm in general disagreement with their modus operandi. To me, their motto here seems to be,

"Say what they wanna hear, do what we wanna do."

Here are a few examples of why I say this:

Change From Politics As Usual

Holder, Richardson, Killefer, Daschle, Geithner, ... ?! At first, I found myself thinking these were "Rookie Mistakes" and I found myself saying, "That 'Hillary, Ready On Day-One' thing is starting to seem sort of appealing." But the BHO administration hasn't made any such allusions. Nor have they given any explanation for how this shows "Change". Rather than accounting for this about all I've heard is blaming the nominees for not being forthcoming in their vetting ... what sort of "Change" is any of this?

Obama Will "Go Through, LINE BY LINE, Every Piece of Legislation That Comes Across (His) Desk And Strike Out All The Pork."

At least that's what he said during his campaign for the Presidency. However, it turns out that NO ONE, in the President's administration or in Congress, read the 1,100 page "Economic Stimulus Bill". And, in the lead up to the bill's passage, when questions arose about the President, as a recent Senator, not showing much savvy about successfully navigating a bill through Congress, one Senator answered, "He wasn't really very involved when he was here. Mostly, he spent his time, in the Senate, running for President." 

A Post-Partisan Presidency

Again, that's what he promised during his Presidential campaign. However, in the case of the passage of the "Economic Stimulus Bill" this "reaching across the aisle" was so obviously only lip-service that, out of 219 Republicans in the House and Senate, three (count 'em, 3) Republican Senators voted in accordance with Obama. Although it was clear that the other 216 Republicans were eager to pass appropriate "stimulus" legislation, it was just as clear that they voted No on the bill supported by Obama because what they saw as more effective ideas weren't given consideration. Obama's reaction to this was to accuse the Republicans of having a "Deny, Delay and Do Nothing Strategy." Maybe its just me but that seems pretty partisan. In fact, it was so partisan that New Hampshire's U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (R), who had agreed to serve as the Obama administration's Secretary of Commerce, withdrew his nomination. But, even in the face of these results, Obama refused to change course. His most blatant partisanship on this came after the bill was passed. Although he had urged immediate passage of the bill, to avert an impending catastrophe, once the bill was passed, he waited several days to sign it, in order to allow him to travel to Denver and do so before a campaign-style worshipful audience. For me, the piece de resistance of this presentation was Obama's inclusion of "Office-Holders who stood by and did nothing", in his list of what is to blame for the alleged impending economic catastrophe. Ironically, this statement generated the most enthusiastic applause and cheering for Obama ... one who had been a U.S. Senator during the time in question ... an Office-Holder who stood by and did nothing.

I hear that many, who supported Obama's Presidential candidacy, are already starting to have second thoughts. They, too, are not seeing the sort of Change, Integrity and Post-Partisan leadership they had in mind. I don't know how to respond to that without referencing concerns we tried to raise during the campaign and coming off as just saying, "We told you so!" With that in mind, I'll just say this. I still want our President to succeed and I will be supportive of his administration where I can. But, in order for me to do so, he's going to have to stop campaigning and start governing. And in governing he's going to have to do so in the style directed by The Book he put his hand on when he took the Presidential Oath of Office ...

Matthew 5:37 - Let your "Yes" mean "Yes" and your "No" mean "No".