LET'S NOT JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS

I must admit, I am disappointed in some of the Obama administration’s actions, or lack of such. But I must also confess that I am puzzled by those who wanted (and continue) to blame the president for a multitude of conditions in the country that he inherited and has had only a little over 12 months to affect a change. Let us first be reminded that he did not become president until January 20, 2009, just less than 13 months ago.

Next, we must remember that at this same point in his administration, George W. was already being written off as a one-term president, like his father. He and his cabinet officials made a number of blunders, both political and verbal, that had pundits and the population wondering if he was up to the task of commander in chief. Then the World Trade Center tragedy occurred. Object if you want, cry foul and blasphemy me for saying so, but 9-11 saved George W’s presidency -- and gave him an excuse to forsake the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and invade Iraq: Thus ensuring that we would be at war in 2004 when he ran for re-election.

I hope and trust that Obama will not have any such tragic event, terrorist initiated or otherwise, to bail out his presidency. He needs to exert his considerable personal appeal and intelligence to get control of events in Washington that are within his sphere of influence.

He has not done that. For instance, I would think that one with his experience in community organization would know that you organize a community one block at a time. In other words, get you ducks in a row. He allowed his democratic allies(?) in Congress to jump right in to health care reform without first getting their ducks in order. Health care reform is now close to becoming another failed promise -- and Obama will be to blame.

I can overlook some of the dumb-assed comments or actions by his cabinet officials and others who should known better. Have we forgotten already some of the prissy things John Ashcroft did during his first year as Bush’s attorney general? It’s a fact of Washington life for newcomers that they will sooner or later misstep or misstate.

If we were smart, we would require those administering the oath of office to the president or anyone in official Washington to read first this statement:

Before taking your oath of office, be advised that you often will not have the right to remain silent and that anything you say can and will be misquoted, taken out of context and used against you in the press and in the court of public opinion.

News reporters have found more fame (and fortune) in “investigative reporting,” which necessarily leads them to constantly look for a statement, wink or nod that can be interpreted (or misinterpreted) to form the basis for their next sensational headline in the press or teaser on the six o‘clock news. Forget the facts ... find the faux pas. The fourth estate is nearly as corrupt as the political arena on which it reports -- and that is sad.  (Why is there a national Tea Party movement? Because a sizable portion of the population has determined it can trust neither the Democrats nor Republicans to lead or work on solutions.)

Political pundits, or course, make their living by culling the gems of politicians’ screw-ups for their daily tirades, each presented to create in itself the most news. The more outrageous a statement, the better. Keep in mind, too, that many of the pundits popular today are former politicians who have found it more profitable to comment on the actions of their political-party opposites than to actually hold office and contribute to solving the nation’s problems. Ideological zealotry plays better and pays better in the media than in Washington.

So with these comments in mind, let us vow that we will not jump to conclusions about the Obama presidency. That is, let us not conclude that Obama is finished, just a blip on the political scene as some would have us believe. He has three more years. Let us also try to filter the noise (called news) on radio, television and in the press about his or any other politician’s comments or actions with independent research and intelligence.  We can be smarter than we are given credit for.