Progressives Must Guard Against Helping to Promote Republican Narrative That Alleges Obama "Flip Flops"

The Republican spin machine is locked and loaded to promote the notion that Barack Obama is a "flip flopper." Four years ago it was their principal line of attack against Kerry and it worked like a charm.

In 2004, the goal of this narrative was to convince swing voters that Kerry had no core values -- that his positions and commitments were blown by the winds of public opinion just as he was blown right and left in the notorious campaign ad of Kerry wind-surfing.

Not long after the 2004 election, I was in a New Jersey taxicab. The driver was a typical male New Jersey cabbie. "So what do you think of Corzine?" I asked. "Oh, Corzine, tough guy. Like him," he replied about the then-Senator.

"What do you think of Bush?" I asked. "Like him too. Tough guy. Stands up for what he believes," came the answer.

"What about Kerry?" I asked. "Kerry? Can't stand him. Flip-flopper."

People want leaders who are firmly committed to their values. The key thing that affected the New Jersey cabbie's view wasn't the positions or views of the candidates. It was whether they stood up for what they believed. There are many independent voters just like him.

I believe that John Kerry has very clear values, but he left himself open to be defined to swing voters as if he didn't.

Barack Obama is firmly committed to progressive values that contrast sharply with the values implicit in necon foreign policy and dog-eat-dog, survival-of-the-fittest Bush-McCain economic policies.

Obama is much less likely than Kerry was to allow himself to be characterized as a flip-flopper without core values, because his entire campaign is rooted in the discussion of values. It has drawn very sharp distinctions with Republicans on the critical symbolic questions of Iraq, the economy and health care. But that won't keep Republicans from doing everything they can to try to make Obama look like he is a "typical politician" without a moral core the same way they did with Kerry.

Last week's near-frenzy in the media over Obama's alleged "move to the center" on Iraq had no substance whatsoever. It was fed, virtually entirely, by the Republican National Committee and the McCain campaign that simply asserted that his statements on Iraq represented a "change " from earlier positions. That narrative was picked up and parroted by various media pundits as if it were true.

Unfortunately, some Progressives fell prey to the media wave and actually gave credence to this non-story, when the fact is that Obama has consistently supported ending the war in Iraq and withdrawing all combat troops within 16 months, at a pace that is responsive to the situation on the ground.

Progressives have to remember that the Republicans don't care about the nuances of these issues. Their goal is simple: make Obama look like he is changing his position.

All Progressives don't agree with every position Barack Obama has taken, but the fact is that very few of his positions have changed since the campaign began.

Progressives who disagree with Barack Obama but at the same time don't want to help Republicans usher in a third Bush term need to remember three things:

1). Go right ahead and disagree with an Obama position or statement -- but disagree on the substance. Don't impute some venal motive. Remember that even when you disagree with him on an issue or policy, Obama shares our progressive values.

2). Don't reinforce the Republican narrative that Obama is a "flip flopper." Disagreeing with an Obama position is very different from arguing that he agreed with you once, but now has changed positions just to win favor with the voters. First, that is generally wrong. Second, if Obama emphasizes one aspect of a position instead of another in order to attract a particular group of voters, that does not mean he "changed" his position. Third, remember that the Republicans are desperate to get Progressives to confirm their narrative and convince guys like my New Jersey taxi driver to elect John McCain.

3). Remember that there is a huge gulf between the values of Obama and McCain. Obama stands clearly in the progressive tradition of giving every human being equal opportunity to fulfill their potential. McCain stands squarely on the side of ultra-conservative values that protect the power and prerogatives of the wealthiest among us.

Obama stands firmly against the neocon foreign policies of preemptive war and unilateral action that lay at the root of the worst American foreign policy disaster in a generation. McCain stands just as firmly for the neocon vision and the Bush approach to the rest of the world.

Obama believes that economic growth happens from the bottom up and doesn't trickle down on the rest of us. He supports the rights of workers to organize to defend their standard of living, and a world where we're all in this together, not all in this alone. McCain intends to continue Bush's economic policies that have assured that all of the economic growth in the last seven years has gone to the wealthiest 1% of Americans.

Obama understands that our world faces the greatest environmental crisis in history as we seek to prevent human beings from altering our climate. First and foremost, John McCain's loyalties lie with the oil industry.

We need to remember that John McCain's campaign is managed by lobbyists from the biggest special interests in America, while Barack Obama understands the need to mobilize tens of millions of Americans to change Washington from the ground up.

Progressives should go right ahead and question Obama's positions on issues -- and they should continue to hold him accountable when he is elected president. But remember that the Republicans are desperate to convince independent voters that Obama is "just another politician" whose values flow from the latest poll instead of his own commitment to principle. Don't help them. If you do you will be wrong, and you will also help the Republicans fulfill their unthinkable fantasy of a third Bush term.

Robert Creamer is a long time political organizer and strategist, and author of the recent book "Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win," available on Amazon.com.

Comments

[contrariandy]

Let's see. Most Americans haven't read Obama's books or his website or at least closely followed the Democratic primaries. So, now that he's got the nomination, who should introduce him to the American people? We could leave it to the McCain Campaign or to the mainstream media in Mini-Mac's tiny pocket. Or, we could let MoveOn.ego­, and every other progressive define Obama as themselves and cry about every nuance that doesn't fit our own priorities and beliefs.

Or, we could leave it to the Obama campaign that performed so brilliantly in introducing him in the primaries and winning the nomination. We could let them introduce Obama in terms that the general public understands and appreciates (see Lakoff) and we could let them run the general election campaign all in good time in their well-organized way with their well-demonstrated political skills. Maybe, just maybe, the Obama Campaign has earned the right to conduct this as they know best.

[EspressoAtNoon]

It would be a lot easier if Obama just stopped flip flopping and changing his core principles for the sake of political opportunity.

I campaigned for him in the Primaries, voted for him, stood out in line for 6 hours in the rain in Chapel Hill to see him speak.

I'll vote for him, but I won't campaign for him anymore, and no I won't lie or state disingenious things on his behalf. He needs to show the character he showed in the Primaries or else he probably deserves the scrutiny he gets.

[rasthedestroyer]

For some reason i don't think your telling the truth. if you campaigned for him as you've said then you would know more abut his core values, and his postions on the issues. Maybe all that koolaid you've been drinking went staight to your head and you might need to go back to sleep until you feel better ,you silly little repug. Were you trying to be clever again.

[EspressoAtNoon]

I am absolutely telling the truth. It's the people who've been listening to him the longest and were so inspired by his message for a new kind of politics that are so shocked by his flip flopping. I was voting against the "triangulator" in the Primaries. I didn't realize he'd carry her torch once he won.

As far as all your name calling and cheap shots - why don't you think for yourself and stop walking in lock-step with some party or some "team" mentality. I'm an independent and I'll ALWAYS remain loyal to principle over people or party. I feel sorry for those who do otherwise - they're no different then the Karl Rove's and James Carville's out there - they see politics as a sport and not as something that actually can change lives for the better.

[Horus45]

Another fucking Republican mole impersonating a Democrat.

Give me a fucking break, I don't believe a word you say.

[Argente]

I believe you, Espresso, if for no other reason than I stood in that line too (are you the miscreant who went home with my good umbrella?)

However, I have redoubled my efforts in supporting his campaign, even though over here in Durham it's like preaching to the choir. I've been around long enough to remember the many times that I disagreed on some issues with an elected official that I supported. Don't give in to your cyncism, Padawan - it only leads to the Dark Side.

[queotic]

Sir, you claim that Obama didn't flip flop, but in October & December of 2007, he said he would back a filibuster for any bill containing retroactive immunity. He is now stating that he supports the bill because of "grave security threats." The Republicans are going to try every dirty trick in the book regardless of anything, so there is no reason for me, a donater and volunteer, to allow Obama any laxity if he goes back on his word.

[Obambot]

I respect your line of thinking, but I also think there is a distinction between changing ONE OR A FEW POSITIONS and being a "flip-flopper", which is like the distinction between a lie (which everybody does) and a liar. Hold the man accountable, but let's not go overboard here.

[chombo]

Thanks for your help sliming Obama. Signed John McCain

[meanguy]

thank you for the hyperbole in mindlessly bashing anyone who doesn't toel the 'party line 100%...
signed: barack obama
ps-next time, don't forget to call them a racist...d­o i have to think of EVERYTHING?

[rasthedestroyer]

He did not say he supports the bill because of some"grave security threat" To paraphrase him he said this is the best the Dems could do right now, and that there was important legislation in the bill he would rather not lose if the bill did'nt pass. Dude, you such a tool it's not even funny.

[barackobama4prez]

I was very upset the past couple of weeks when so called liberals and progressives were throwing O under the bus openly...

But I'm better now. I think O will do just fine in the General, even if he doesn't have the support he had in the primaries. His so called based is missing the forest for the trees. They are gonna efff around and be stuck with gramps for prez.....

[nanoscare]

He shouldn't be throwing progressives under the bus. Oh, he is going to be President no matter what and he does have my vote. But this playing footsie with the center-right won't net him a successful presidency. The center-right will still attack him and progressives won't stand up to defend him. The only people who will defend him are those willing to spin like Republicans. No more DLC.

[shelobo]

Core values , Which Govern personal relationships (McCain failed on this one)
Guide business processes
Clarify who we are (Womanizer )
Articulate what we stand for (McCain is a warmonger)
Help explain why we do business the way we do (Lives off wifes money)
Guide us on how to teach (Curses people when angry)
Inform us on how to reward
Guide us in making decisions (Bush advises all decisions)
Underpin the whole organization (Corruption )
Require no external justification (Uses 'Hero' staus as political agenda)
Essential tenets,When we DEFINE CORE VALUES McCain has none ! He failed at his PERSONAL commitments , when he dumped his wife for a younger ,healther woman.

[sclucie]

Thanks to Creamer and longdognal and mcsame. It has been astonishing to watch the Huffington posters play right into the Republicans hands over the past two weeks - are these voters so young, or so entitled that they don't have to worry about real life problems - like whether their kids will go to Iraq or college, whether we will be at war for 100 years, or whether they will lose their health care under McCain - which for some of us, will simply be deadly?

On every issue - this cohort has not only reacted immediately, without full information, without research on slanted AP articles or blogs, without going to the original statements. I hate FISA. Many Democrats caved. But FISA and a number of other unconstitutional measures would not have been put into place without Bush winning in 2000 - with Nader voters.

I hate the war in Iraq, - but immediate withdrawl is genocide - there are already 2 million Sunni refugees. The Democractic plan for withdrawl is the only one that has a chance of leaving without refugees in the millions. When the AP Republican machine feeds you information, stop a couple days. Research it. Go to real, independent news sources - not editorials. There will never be a candidate who will be "your" candidate. Consider what this country has to lose - and how much we have already lost through a black and white mentality on the far right - and on the far left.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Obama is a strategic thinker and that strategy has not changed on his vision in Iraq. Obama is going to set the mission on leaving Iraq, that's all I care about. McBush has set no such vision he wants to stay in Iraq indefinitely. The two candidates could be no more in contrast. Obama has said all along that he would evaluate how to get out of Iraq the safest way possible. That's why Obama was puzzled with the lefts hyperbolic reaction to refining his position. Obama is going to visit Iraq soon and doing the right thing by listening to tactics from people on the ground.

[ProudLiberalDan]

Still blaming Nader for the failings of the Democrats to stand up for themselves and their values?

Get over it.

No candidate is "entitled" to triangulate against a voter and still get that person's vote.

[AlexVonHussein]

and Mccain was born in panama and Campaigns in Colombia and Mexico for their Jobs

[Forsetti]

I agree with your assessment of the situation. It seems that too often the reaction from the Right towards Obama is parrotted by the Progressives. Then, when the dust settles a little bit, the whole picture comes into focus and the Progressives have to backtrack. But the perception is out there that both the Right and the Left are attacking him for the same reasons. The Right doesn't know much but they do know psychology and the impact of a negative first impression. The Left should learn from recent events and have a "wait and see" approach on articles, blogs, sound bites, etc...

[rlarkin]

He did a 180 on FISA. Are you saying you want us to lie for him?

[rasthedestroyer]

Dude, did you read the Sen. response or were you stuck in traffic that day. Get it right , wingnut!!

[Egalitare]

No. You are entitled to disagree with Obama on his most recent FISA position. Say it loudly, post it on all the sites you read regularly. Tell your friends and neighbors. I disagree with him on FISA and the DC gun ban. But on the 98% of everything else, I'm okay.

But if you call it "flip-flopping", you are helping McCain's allies in creating the perception that Obama has no core values. I submit to you that the actual impact of a flawed FISA bill administered by Obama's braintrust is going to be VERY different from the same statute administered by McCain's people. That is worth considering every bit as much as the current FISA proposal itself.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

I'm glad you brought up the DC gun ban. I think the original law went to far. I'm a true blue liberal and think you should be able to have about anything you want in your home; any literature (except child porn because it victimizes children to be made in the first place, any drugs, any weapon (besides explosives and WMDs because they affect many outside your home), any entertainment devices and any music. Moreover I think you should be able to do about anything in your home between two consenting adults but does not hurt minors or do permanent harm to others. Now carry handguns on the street or in public places can and should be part of gun control laws.

[PATina]

Agreed/ This artilce is on point as far as his war stance... but not on FISA. He said he wouldn't vote for it... now he's saying he will vote for it. My 11 year old can tell you that if you do what you said you wouldn't do... that's a lie. I'm sorry... but you can't blame progressives for that... All blame for Obama being called a flip flopper on FISA rests on his shoulders alone !!!!!!!!!!

[MoeB]

Ok...but Robert's point was that the right isn't going to simply state: 'Obama was a flip-flopper on FISA'. They are going to use the same progressive talking point to paint the man as an OVERALL flip-flopper and progressives and other folks on the left won't be able to say anything in his defense, because their retort will be "hey, even YOU ALL said the man was a flip-flopper".

And again, I'll ask: why is FISA now more important than ANYTHING else in this election? Again, I know folks who cannot even afford to keep their phones ON, so to these folks, FISA is the LEAST of their worries. And there are many folks in the same boat throughout this country. I know folks who have actually had to quit their jobs because they cannot afford to get there. Why is FISA more important than this fact? Why are you all willing to throw this man overboard over ONE issue? And please, don't give me that "some of us care about the Constitution" because one doesn't have to be as outraged as some progressives are to care about the Constitution.

[EspressoAtNoon]

I agree with your sentiments. I'll still vote for him, but I'm not going to help to make his flip flopping opportunism against what I believe in easier for him to pull off.

[Fabienne]

Clinton, Edwards, Dodd and Biden did 180s on the war in Iraq, of course to move to a better stance. But I guess this makes them huge flip-floppers. Actually, Edwards did 180s on a lot of issues since he actually voted for them in the Senate.

[onedivasinger]

You know, the corporate media doesn't even hide their effort to hold McCain's hand, and here we are again...bu­ying into and repeating the republican talking points day in and day out. 'Moving to the center," and "flip-flop­ping." McCain's campaign is so bad that he even has the help of Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell openly supporting him. The kid gloves that they handle McCain and his surrogates with would make "Mr. Softee" proud! But do we really have to pick up the republican banner and march down main street with it? The thing that I like about Obama the most is that he isn't wedded to concrete in his thinking. He actually IS thinking. Sorry...I don't want another Bush sock puppet. Every time someone I know starts in with that flip-flop crap, I pull out my list of McSame's greatest hits on the flip-flop parade. Most of which people either didn't remember or know about in the first place. Oh, and by the way...does Cindy McCain's spending habits match anyone you know in so-called "hard working blue collar middle class" America? Oh, please...

[Rjmartinelli]

Not when her monthly credit card bills are higher than my yearly family income & seeing the McCains with numerous houses (some multimillion dollar jobs) while normal citizens are losing theirs.

Never mind the fact that the woman just seems creepy and witchy to me.

[VSamuels]

For alot of the 'low information voters' they won't listen or see beyond the whiteness of the McCains, for them the safety and comfortability of sticking with them pales in comparsion to the many demons floating around in their prejudiced minds. It is also worth noting that although all candidates have labels thrust upon them, no one has flip flopped on who Obama is than the republicans:

*too black
*not black enough
*he's inexperienced
*he's a cult leader
*racist
*Muslim
*terrorist
*he's unpatriotic
*he's the friend of Hamas
*Socialist
*Marxist
*He's Dukaksis
*He's McGovern
*He's Jimmy Carter

The problem for the republicans though, is they are so busy flip flopping over what to call Obama, they can't organize their own team.

[Jaybot]

Umm, shouldn't that be Obama's job? He could start by NOT flip-flopping.

[Forsetti]

Define 'flip-flopping'. Isn't it a complete reversal of one's position? Does any tweaking or modification of a position count as "flip-flopping"? What if situations and information changes, is it okay to alter a position or is this "flip-flopping"?

The whole "we stay steadfast and go full steam ahead regardless of what happens or what evidence comes forth and we know what is best no matter what you think" has not yielded any positive results.

[meanguy]

"The whole "we stay steadfast and go full steam ahead regardless of what happens or what evidence comes forth and we know what is best no matter what you think" has not yielded any positive results."

i guess that's what has replaced integrity in 'the politics of change?'

[turfkiller]

Changing one's mind like to run for president after saying you weren't that changing your mind.

Changing ones mind from allowing civil suites against telecom companies who obeyed an unlawful order by denying that recourse is a change in principles. That's a flip flop.

Change in mind not affecting underlying principles is changing one's mind.
Change in mind affecting underlying principles that's flip flopping.

[patriotic008]

i'm electing a president, not a messiah. O has my vote and my support is unwavering. we may not agree on everything but we agree on the things that matter and affect me and many others like me

For those of you who are facing foreclosure, losing our jobs, straddled in student loans, tired of losing friends and family to a pointless war for oil in I r a q, paying $4.20 at the pump, watching the rich get richer and the poor get poorer - you all may be inclined to agree.

Vote Smart in 08
Don't buy into the BS

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Thank you. I love how the same people who put Obama on this high pedestal are so eager to knock him off at the first sign that he is not something he never said he was, a perfect progressive. My favorite is people who say Obama is breaking his "brand". Well let's evaluate his "brand".

-he said there were not red or blue states just the USoA so he was running as a post partisan, not a darling of the left.
-he said he believes in a new politics of concentrating on the issues, not negative campaigning and sometimes telling people what they don't want to hear, he certainly is consistent with focusing on the issues, only responded to attacks (including the occasional rebuking negative attacks coming from some of his supporter, e.g. Clark) and has no ticked of the left and right.
-he said he would put the most qualified people in his campaign and administration, so he has proven that by adding my Clinton people and even someone from the Bush EPA.

All this shows is that most progressive heard what they wanted to hear and not what he was saying.

[Fabienne]

I wonder what the Obama detractors in the blogosphere who purport that they once supported him (I wonder) thought he meant by the statement that he wanted to be President for ALL Americans. I guess they believe that "all Americans" are leftwing.

[londongal]

I've said this in one commentary and I'll say it again. I'm an Independent, and in my observation, Dems are their own worst enemies. I have seen so much condemnation from so-called Dems against Obama for alleged flip-flopping (FISA, Iraq, etc.) by Huffpost bloggers and writers alike.

You want a different candidate, you got one. But you're not doing your homework when you tear down Obama and completely ignore the obvious about-face that McCain has been flaunting in front of our noses. I'm not going to name them all here, but they're easy to find.

In Huffpost's defense, it has somewhat redeemed itself in my eyes with commentaries like Mr. Creamer's, but I've been very disappointed in the commentaries here at the post of late.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

I think this is really a power play by HuffPo and other progressives to own Obama's agenda. Obama never ran his campaign on being a far left progressive, quite the opposite he wants to be president of all the people. But many on the left who think they are the sole reason that he won the nomination want payback in kind.

[Zeje]

What happened to "Change"? Obama gets closer to McCain every day

[ProudLiberalDan]

Oh brother.

So Huffingtonpost is supposed to be an extension of the Obama campaign? No one is supposed to have a different opinion? How boring and unnecessary is that.

Surely the Obama campaign can create its own blog site where Obamaniacs who refuse to tolerate any criticism of even discussion of their candidates positions or changes thereof can discuss their blind loyalty amongst themselves and continue to revel in their cult of personality.

As someone on the "left", I'm willing to vote for Obama as the lesser of two evils, largely because of the Supreme Court, but I have no intention of carrying water for or acting as apologists for or giving blind loyalty to any candidate, even one I largely agree with.

[TheShoveler]

This post is a pack of outrageous lies. Rather than engage in wishful thinking, vacuous sloganeering and stereotyping, and the projection of one's own values onto a charismatic but vague leadership figure, it would be best for progressives to wake up, smell the coffee, and lobby hard for the superdelegates to throw the nomination wide open. The plain fact is that Obama has waffled on Iraq since he first came to national prominence, and we can't be even remotely confident in what he intends to do, but we should insist on a firm timetable for withdrawal with no equivocation or excuses. He has waffled on NAFTA, and he has waffled on FISA, as well as other important issues. Barack Obama will say anything, to anyone, anywhere, and at anytime to get elected. Maybe we'll never have a perfect president, or a president with whom we can agree on everything, but we desperately need a president we can trust.

[exPatPatti]

Keep shoveling. He will be the next president. So maybe if you keep shoveling, you will end up in a happy place. Like China.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Shoveling BS I think.

[oldlakelady]

Trolling again?? You've never been an Obama supporter and I doubt you're a progressive. Your attempts to manipulate will not work - not this time. There are plenty of Obama supporters who are not afraid to stand up to these kinds of smears.

[rasthedestroyer]

Your shoveling it alright, and i can smell a wingnut a mile away.

[TheShoveler]

That's okay. That's typical of Obamamaniacs. You're either enthusiastically for him, or else you're a wingnut. Well I'm not for him, and I'm not casting a vote for president this year if he's the Democratic nominee. But here's the deal: I read an interesting post on Politico over the holiday weekend: "Obama’s own voice may haunt him," by David Mark & Kenneth P. Vogel. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11542.html. It's about how the GOP and their 527s will come after Obama using his own spoken word recording of "Dreams From My Father" in attack ads. So I obtained the recording and listened for myself, using just a bit of imagination to fill in some gravelly-voiced TV announcer tagging Obama's own narrative. I predict you will cry. I predict you will be very, very angry when you begin to understand the long-range consequences of Obama's nomination and McCain's election. OTOH, I will look back on all these euphoric Obama posts and laugh my ass off.

[Fabienne]

Shoveler, exactly who should get this nomination? Clinton didn't even bother to vote the first time telecom immunity came up, while Obama voted against it. Clinton, Dodd, Biden and Edwards supported both the war and the Patriot Act, and Clinton is on record as saying she is willing to go to war with Iran if the situation "requires" it. Kucinich or Gravel have no chance of getting this nomination. Which one of the other wafflers would you like? Do you think any of them would withdraw from Iraq without consulting the military leaders? Even I, a pacifist, think this would be foolish. If you are still "grieving" because your candidate lost the nomination, write her or him in and be done with it.

[MaryanneAZ]

Shoveler, you could not be more wrong, and you certainly have not educated yourself from the source: Obama's books, website, speeches, platform.

Barack Obama's position on ending the Iraq war has not changed. Nor has his timetable. He may "refine" his plan. You need to look up the word "refine." Haven't we had enough of a President who refuses to modify positions based on facts or realities? Who adheres to rigid ideology at all costs over common sense approaches? Who refuses to compromise and views everyone as 'with us or against us'?

I imagine Barack saying on 1/21/09: "The Iraq war is over. The U.S. will today begin an immediate and orderly withdrawal of our troops. The rate of that withdrawal will depend on the Iraqis, the safety of our troops and the actions of Iraq's near neighbors. If everything remains status quo, our present troop levels should be completely drawn down in 16 months. Iraq is not a third world country. Iraq is literate, oil and agriculture rich and now has an opportunity, due to the sacrifice of our troops, to prosper and be free. It is well past time for the Iraqi government, military and citizens to stand up and handle their own affairs." McCain plans to continue the Iraq war indefinitely and Barack plans to declare the war at an end.

Barack Obama's willingness to discuss, compromise, and make alterations to [refine] policies IS the change I am seeking!

[TheShoveler]

If I had to rely on "the source: Obama's books, website, speeches, platform," as you put it, I'd be in big trouble. And I don't have to imagine what Obama will say once he's inaugurated to cause the heavens to smile and rainbows to break out. I just have to read the record as it is. In a meeting with Chicago Tribune reporters at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, Obama said, “On Iraq, on paper, there's not as much difference, I think, between the Bush administration and a Kerry administration as there would have been a year ago. There's not much of a difference between my position and George Bush's position at this stage. The difference, in my mind, is who's in a position to execute.” [John Kass, "Obama's A Star Who Doesn't Stick To The Script," Chicago Tribune, 7/27/04, p.2]. BUT you go ahead and dream big MaryanneAZ!!!!

[Zeje]

Ha! We'll come back to HuffPost after Obama has been in office for a year and see what you think

[CindyV]

Obama himself said we were to hold his feet to the fire on issues we care about. Now you're saying we shouldn't because the rethuglicans will use it against him. We wouldn't be in this situation if Obama had more experience and we really knew where he was on the issues. FISA, abortion, Iraq. What next?

[rasthedestroyer]

He's already told you where he stands on these issues, Are you paying any attention?

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Yes he did and he responded. Obama has full 12 year track record of supporting women's rights to choose. He never changed his mind at all about getting out of Iraq. He always said he would reevaluate how best to get out of Iraq. Face it FISA is the only true flip flop and people are still willing to ignore McBush's over a dozen flip flops.