Posted by
Andrews on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 9:36:16 AM
Am I the only person who notices that Obama seems to adopt more than one position on almost every issue? And this man is supposed to be a "different kind of politician"? If so, it is only because he is more openly two-faced than any predecessor.
The obvious example is his recent claim that Iran is a tiny nation we could easily take, followed immediately by the claim that Iran is a grave threat. But that is not the only one. His string of contradictions goes all the way back to his claims that gun rights were absolute but could be regulated by the state. Nor did he stop after the Iran comments, recently adding conditions to his unconditional willingness to talk to any tyrant who asked.
It is almost second nature to Obama. Depending on the audience he is pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, for a two-state solution, opposed to a two-state solution, who knows? Which is also mirrored in his aide's statements to Canada that his NAFTA opposition is "just campaign rhetoric". Of course, that was one of the few times he bothered to hide his multiple positions. Most are out there for all the world to see, such as his claim that he could not renounce Reverend Wright, followed, as we all know, by his renunciation.
I could go on and on with this list, but I think the examples above provide a good example. Now some, obviously, can be explained away as changing positions based on political expediency, and others represent backing away from a position he discovered to be unpopular. But others are truly puzzling. The gun control positions were adopted int he same speech, meaning that either he believes mutually contradictory things about gun control, or believes he can make his audience believe that he does. Neither one speaks well of Obama.
But, whatever the explanation, these conflicting opinions do reveal one thing. Whether he is changing his beliefs to suit the political climate, or tailoring his beliefs to suit the audience, they show that Obama, far from being "a different kind of politician" or "change we can believe in", is just another deceitful politician willing to say whatever it takes to enter office.
And, as the only thing he has to offer us is a glib tongue and this myth of being "different", once the myth of difference is removed, there is very little reason to even consider offering him the top office in the nation.
POSTSCRIPT
For those interested in more Obama foreign policy madness I would refer you to three essays I wrote on the subject over the weekend: "
Captain Kirk Returns", "
Clinton Mark II?", and "
What is Obama's Foreign Policy?".