Iowa Surprise

The Obamaniacs are rejoicing at their plastic hero’s victory in Iowa. I suppose now we’re going to have the media telling us that the election has already been decided, which unfortunately becomes true if enough people believe it. I have to admit, I am truly glad Queen Hillary got her royal ass kicked royally. I only wish the kicking could have been delivered by someone other than someone who appears to be her slightly less evil twin. I keep hearing people breathleslly repeating platitudes like “fresh” and “change”, when it appears that the only thing that’s changing is Obama himself, to become less fresh and more appealing to those who shy away from anybody who sincerely promises real change. He seems to be well on his way to proving it’s not necessary to fool all the people, and maybe not even a majority of them.

I keep hearing that one of the most important issues in the minds of the voters is the Iraq war. That’s certainly one of my most important issues. Why, then, does anyone see Obama as an improvement over Clinton? As this analysis points out, in the 69 Iraq-related Senate votes cast by Obama and Clinton since Obama joined the Senate in 2005, they have differed on only one. And they have both given far too much support to Bush’s Iran war threats. Change, my ass.

Although Bush was very successful at ridiculing Kerry for being “for the war before he was against it” (or do I have that backwards?), Obama seems to be getting away with similar reversals. Before he was elected to the Senate, before his opinions mattered, he was (or claimed to be) against the Iraq war and the Patriot Act. But then, after he got elected to the Senate where he was in a position to make his opinions count, he switched on both issues and voted for them after he was against them. Well, I suppose that could be called change, but certainly not refreshing.

And, as further evidence that this kind of backtracking on anything good that he ever stood for (or claimed to stand for) is the kind of “change” we can expect from Obama, an
AP article takes a look at other ways in which Obama is becoming more ideologically reunited with his separated-at-birth twin Hillary, as he shrewdly realizes that the way to take votes away from her is to become more like her, not more different.

But you gotta give the guy credit for knowing how to fool people. At the same time he was shedding his liberal Chicago skin to present himself as someone more acceptable to middle-class white Iowa, he managed to convince people that he was somehow different, without actually revealing any differences that would scare off middle America. At this rate, he just might be able to fool enough of the people who chant “change, change, change”, and then denounce as “kooky” anybody who actually suggests any substantial change, like actually bringing the troops home from Iraq, or universal health care, or significant environmental protection, or protecting the freedoms of our citizens at home. They can comfortably cast their votes for Obama, and compliment themselves on being progressive enough to vote for change, while being secure that everything will still be business as usual.