Barack has to learn to be President

Barack Obama went to Iraq and Afghanistan to get some war cred last week. Admittedly, he looks better than Michael Dukakis in a military helmet, but not as good as Bush did in his flight suit and codpiece when he landed on that aircraft carrier to declare “Mission Accomplished.” We should all be scared when politicians pretend to be soldiers. It reminds me of the sad spectacle of grown men who wear the jerseys of NFL players; I believe that you do not wear a uniform that is not yours.

With the major media anchors (he did not invite Fox) following him and singing ABBA songs while throwing rose petals at his feet, Obama has now become an expert on Iraq after just a few days there. I drove through Selma, Alabama once, so I guess I am now an expert on the Civil Rights Movement. I may soon ask for reparations.

Obama should have done what Bush probably did to understand the countries of the world: just go to Epcot Center for a long weekend. Yet he appears to have enjoyed his trip to the Muslim countries and felt comfortable, since there were others named Obama and Hussein there.

I have been against the war in Iraq. However, it is interesting to hear its Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, say that he favors Obama’s plan to pull our troops out in sixteen months. What distinguished Obama from other Democratic hopefuls was his plan to pull out early, something John Edwards now wishes he had done.

President Bush was outraged and got a retraction from al-Maliki. Bush went out of his way to give the Iraqis democracy, a constitution and a leader---and now they are acting like it is their country. He must now know how his dad feels.

It is, however, curious to see how Obama has rushed to the center after his nomination, abandoning his “one-month pull” out campaign pledge in favor of my all-time favorite, politically-nuanced, statement du jour, “listening to the commanders on the ground.” It sounds like McCain and Obama are heading toward the same conclusion on Iraq. The only thing this election will determine is if our permanent base there is named after Nancy Pelosi or Trent Lott.

Obama, while trying to understand his future role as Commander-in-Chief, has little war experience. Nor do any of his close associates----except Obama’s unrepentant terrorist friend, William Ayers, who has extensive domestic bomb-making experience.

Many buy into Obama’s sketchy vision of “change” because they desperately want something in which to believe. Since Bush has damaged the Republicans’ belief in “small government” and tainted the brand for some time now with an ill-conceived war of choice and failure to veto spending bills, I can understand why the nation is looking for an alternative. However, once you peel back the smooth varnish that is Obama, you will find an inexperienced ultra-liberal who does not embody the views of most Americans. He is almost like a slick, Hollywood packaged movie that would go straight to DVD. Southerners would consider him “all sizzle and no steak.”

Impervious to the realities of making hard decisions and seeing them through, Obama hangs his liberal hat on the myth that he voted against the War in Iraq. In reality, he was a state legislator working his way up the Democratic ladder in 2002; he cast no such vote on Iraq since he did not arrive in the U.S. Senate until 2005. Given his rhetoric around 2002, and just like Hillary Clinton, he probably would have voted for the war had he been a U.S. Senator then and not just a promising minor leaguer in the Illinois State House.

Since the sad truth is that Americans are more likely to vote in an American Idol contest than in the presidential election, the media has a powerful role in controlling voters’ perceptions of the candidate. That is probably why the New York Times allows Obama to write Op-Ed pieces and does not allow McCain to respond.

There is something to be said for Obama’s youth. And I like that Obama corresponds with Scarlett Johansson via email. What possibly could go wrong with a charismatic Democratic President getting close to a 25-year old starlet? At least Obama is tech savvy, whereas John McCain admits that he does not use email. I am told that McCain does, however, communicate with Angie Dickenson via CB radio with some regularity.

The job of President of the United States is not an entry level position. It is not like electing a high school prom king. We voters are doing the hiring here, and it is a big decision. This is a serious job of administration and decision-making, with major consequences. We are well within our rights to ask to see our candidate’s resume’, beyond the spin the major media front for Obama.