Mr. Obama: The Smart Boy In Class

I wrote the following as a response to a post that I wrote on my milspouse blog about health care. This might get me into a heap of trouble with die hard Obama fans. I don't care that he went to Punahou, Harvard, or even had a bath in Chicago politics. What I dislike is his tendency to act like he's smarter than anyone else.

I understand he has a difficult job, as every President has had --there's not one that hasn't had more than their fair share of divots. To an extent I agree with what Karl Rove had to say to Charlie Rose about Obama's term on 3/12/2010. He was not only thoughtful, but fair.

"It's very early. you start to shape the arc of your presidency early. I think it's important that people not make conclusive statements about where this is all going to end up." -Karl Rove on The Charlie Rose Show, 3/12/2010

Okay. Because I'm fair, I'm at least willing to listen to Rove, someone I was never crazy about. I didn't agree with everything that he said, but he did have some good insights based on experience, hindsight and an accumulation of political wisdom.

So the way I'll describe my feelings about Mr. Obama is with this comparison.
You are in a class and you have this really big project. You find yourself paired with the "smartest" guy in the school. He's very popular, engaging and everyone seems to like him. So the two of you sit down, but you're completely unsure where to start. But no problem: he has really big ideas. The two of you are tossing down ideas and scenarios like cards on a table. You're laughing, it's cool, the energy is now flowing. His enthusiasm really gets you going.

So you get started, and so does he. You're working along, finding things out and you go to tell him something exciting! But you look around, and he's over at the window meeting new people, engaging them, absolutely winning them over. You try to get his attention, and he looks at you and ensures you that he's got his part covered.

On your way back to your desk, you see that he's got a few lines jotted down on a legal tablet, a few books open, but nothing else.
As you continue working, you find all sorts of things wrong. You go to him, and he quickly issues the 1. reasons you must have overlooked something, and 2. the solution for the problem. He smiles, you smile. His new friends are there with him. They have their two cents to put in, and even though you're not sure, they're very insistent. Because he's the "smartest boy" in class, and because they're just so darn bossy, you go back to work.

Still, things aren't working out quite the way you had thought. So you go back to him, only this time only his friends can be found. They quickly surround you, offering to help. You say fine, but then ...they try to change the direction of the project. You get upset and tell the group you really need to talk to him first.
They tell you that he's left. No longer available! Talk to them, and they'll get the message back to him. He's moved on to another project.
You go back to your desk. Angry.
The "smartest" boy in the class has left you holding the bag.