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Monday, November 24, 2008 12:00 AM

Barack Obama, honeymoon killer?

The Clintonites in his Cabinet, forgiveness for Lieberman, the creeping signs of centrism -- progressives aren't ready to panic, yet.

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  • Sunday, November 23, 2008 07:18 PM

    Hour of the Assassins

    OK, we, let me emphasize that, we elected the candidate we wanted, based on faith and trust in his vision reflecting what we wanted, on the direction we wanted this nation to take. We also, many of us, wanted to do this with Hillary Clinton at the helm. It was a tough battle, and our guy won, and every damn body was thrilled to have him there, and now we think he should be listening to each and every one of us as to how to accomplish this vision of a changed Republic? Why aren't one of us President then? Because we wanted someone smarter than us! And that's what we got.

    Barack Obama has begun to assemble his cabinet and suddenly we are all wailing and moaning and gnashing our teeth because he's doing it as he would do it, given what he's got to work with? That many of these people were part of the Clinton administration -- well Jesus! -- wasn't that a terrible eight years of peace and relative prosperity?

    Let's pretend, just for a while, that Obama actually knows what he's doing. That's why the hell I not only voted for him but worked for his campaign and shoveled an unprecendented amount of my fixed income into said campaign (Clinton never got that much money from me, although he did have my words and my energy as part of the wind carrying him toward the White House). So yeah, let's just imagine, for a moment, that Obama actually has a clue what he's doing and let's give him the time and the space to get it started.

    Don't get me wrong: any government we elect we'd better watch like a damn hawk, but change has already happened. How much change can we handle in the first hundred days? I mean the first hundred days of preparation, since the man hasn't even been sworn in yet. Yeah, I understand, Madden, that you've pinned a little qualifier on the end of the article, but you also know how many people read all the way through these things? Or do you truly believe everyone who passes by hangs on your every word? Why don't you just go yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater? Why the holy hell can't you give the man a chance to take a deep breath before you start stirring the ashes of discontent? Come on! These appointees will have to actually work for Obama, not just run randomly amok based on what we think they their world views may be. They're on his payroll now, and they do have impressive resumes. For god's sake (or at least the country's) why not let this jell first, see how it starts to play out and then start screaming about how we were mugged by the Uppity Negro?

    Christ!

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