The Right State

When Barack Obama said he represented ‘Change We Can Believe In,’ I did not think he was talking about his policy decisions.  The only change I see is his shifting on the issues marking the Illinois Senator as a typical Democrat politician. 

Over and over again the Democrat Presidential candidate shifts his positions: on removing troops from Iraq, on guns, and now on eavesdropping on terrorists.  Interestingly a year ago, Obama put the word out that he would vote against (and may even filibuster) any legislation which included immunity for the telecom companies who helped the President’s agencies spy on the terrorists. 

Now things have changed, Barack Obama has won the Democrat nomination for President and conveniently shifts his position towards the middle.  Democrats are not happy about the change in position.  Note this analysis from the AP.

Sen. Barack Obama’s vote in favor of anti-terrorist surveillance legislation on Wednesday marked an about-face on the issue that left him comfortably in the bipartisan middle, no matter the criticism from John McCain nor the discomfort among liberal Democrats.

“Given the choice between voting for an improved yet imperfect bill, and losing important surveillance tools, Senator Obama chose to support” the legislation, his office said, even though it contained a provision the Democratic presidential nominee-in-waiting had flatly opposed.

Translation: With the general election looming, preventing another terrorist attack trumped fears that privacy rights may be violated.

Ouch!  AP writer David Espo is mild in his criticism of Obama’s shift in positions, but he is accurate.  Barack Obama’s shift is tantamount to flip-flopping.  This is change we can believe in.

Tags: Democrats, National Elections //