As a candidate, Barack Obama's devious political machinations were one of his many character flaws available for public scrutiny yet continuously ignored.  For instance, he spoke at the AIPAC Policy Conference in 2008 at which he promised the over 10,000 Jewish attendees and the Jewish people who were listening in across the world that "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided."  The next day, in response to Muslim outrage, he completely changed his tune, explaining that the word "undivided" was "poorly chosen."  One would expect when it comes to a speech from the man who understands that his words lead to "folks faint[ing] all the time at [his] events," that man would choose those words wisely, but Obama the neophyte was given a pass.

Yet Obama, having been well-trained in oratory and community organizing, was no neophyte.  That is why, while still a candidate, he found himself throwing long-term friends and advisors under the bus in order to ensure that his public persona would lead to the highest office in the land despite the fact that his personal story, which he would ensure be kept under wraps, was something quite inapposite.  In just two days, we have learned from Breitbart.com that in addition to the videotape of Obama at the Rashid Khalidi dinner party that the L.A. Times refuses to release, there are at least two other videotapes that are either still being hidden or were hidden from the public by Obama's supporters and allies.  The director of a play entitled The Love Song of Saul Alinsky, Pam Dickler, is reportedly sitting on a video of that play that was not only attended by Obama, but followed by his participation on stage in a panel discussion with fellow radicals.  And thanks to Breitbart, we are now privy to a videotape of Obama speaking at a rally praising friend and professor Derrick Bell, known for his extremist academic advocacy of critical race theory.  That video was proudly and admittedly hidden during the 2008 election by Obama campaign associate and Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree.

Unfortunately, the political machinations did not end when Obama became president and took the oath of office to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."  Placing his hand on the Bible apparently had little meaning to a man who never evolved from candidate to leader.  And while he has certainly stepped up his actual campaigning in the past several months (he has attended more fundraisers to date [191] than any president going back to Carter), Obama has never once put the country ahead of his own political aspirations and ideology.

Here at home, Obama ran roughshod over the Constitution and rammed through ObamaCare as if it had been the most urgent piece of legislation to ever come before Congress.  But Obama is no moron, and he and his Democrat co-conspirators ensured that its provisions (and massively detrimental implications for the country and economy) would not kick in until after the 2012 election.  Thus, as Pelosi announced that "we have to pass the bill in order to find out what is in it," Obama hoped that no one would actually find out about the increased costs, decreased choices, and onerous and right-infringing regulations until after he had won re-election.  In that regard, he thankfully failed.

More recently, Obama called the Republicans' bluff and refused to endorse the Keystone XL Pipeline despite the fact that it would almost instantaneously create 20,000 new jobs and ultimately lead to lower energy costs.  Obama calculated that the costs of losing the support of the greenies (and the money that flows from the rich left-wing environmental extremists) would outweigh the negative effects of the GOP spin on the issue.  And with the media in his pocket, perhaps he got that one right since the spin in the mainstream portrayed the entire event as a failed ploy by Republicans.

As the civilized world looked to U.S. leadership to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, Obama (pretending to be the strongest implementer of sanctions since sanctions were discovered) fought tooth and nail over the past three years to water down whatever Congress or the Europeans proposed.  Thus, in December, under the guise of support for the Kirk-Menendez sanctions bill, Obama threatened a veto unless the bill delayed the implementation of the sanctions for six months.  His plan was to delay as long as possible in the hope that any effect on oil prices would not impair his chances of re-election.

Which leads to Obama's decisions on the international stage that have been made solely based on their ability to ensure another four years of golf, vacations, private jets, servants, and most importantly, the implementation of further socialist policies and trashing of the Constitution.  While candidate Obama promised to withdraw our troops from Iraq, one would have expected that a President Obama would have realized that in order to ensure long-term stability and viability of the young democracy that was being eyed by Iran, some sort of U.S. military presence was owed not only to the Iraqi people, but also to the members of the military who fought in Iraq and risked their lives, suffered injury, or lost their lives with purpose in their hearts.  Obama calculated that following through with the promise that the Bush administration had made to bring freedom to the Iraqi people was not worth the backlash that he would feel from his far-left base, and he threw the Iraqi people under the bus.

Similarly, Obama stood before the world and simultaneously announced a surge in U.S. troops fighting the war in Afghanistan while declaring a drop-dead date on which he would withdraw our military in full, all with an eye to November 2012.  What kind of commander-in-chief sends his soldiers into battle while giving the enemy notice to make plans for the date that the latter can retake control?  Only a man who cares about himself with nary a care in the world for the lives of his countrymen would do so.  Just as he did when he gave away top secret military intelligence after the killing of Osama bin Laden that led to the death of many of the Navy SEALs who completed that operation when their helicopter was shot down.

And while the list is endless, the most recent and disgustingly egregious political maneuver by the POTUS occurred this week when we learned that Obama attempted to bribe the Israeli prime minister with advanced weaponry needed to bolster the chances of Israel's success in a strike on Iran.  In his meeting with Netanyahu, Obama offered to supply Israel with military equipment including bunker-busting bombs and refueling planes if Netanyahu would agree to hold off on attacking Iran...until 2013.  The president of the United States has taken this country to a new low.  He has officially thrown Israel under the bus; for we all know, if Obama wins a second term, during which he will no longer need the money and votes of the American people, he will turn on Israel definitively without reproach.  And he will let Iran go nuclear.

Anyone old enough to remember the Bush/Kerry fight will recall the images of Bush supporters waving large flip-flops and joking about Kerry's lack of soul in making decisions.  Romney is hearing that now from the left, as his positions over the years have been refined and he has matured.  Barack Obama is a different animal altogether.  He is flip-flopping not for political expediency or due to maturity.  He is consistently single-mindedly leading the country down a very scary path of disrespect on the world stage and vulnerability here at home for political gain.  He has given no indication that he cares about anything other than race-baiting, class warfare, and crony capitalism pursuant to which he takes care of his personal allies rather than America's allies, and all of which he has used as tools to ensure four more years of failed leadership.  If anyone thinks things are going to change in a second term, I've got a Bridge to Nowhere to sell.