Once lost, never regained

By Steve McCann

It has become apparent to many that never in our recent history have we had a President so full of himself that even the word "narcissism" can barely describe his ego and sense of destiny. He has now decided to give yet another speech to a joint session of Congress to make certain the broadcast networks will carry it in primetime.

He evidently believes his delivery and charisma will create a revival in his poll numbers and support for his policies, particularly "health care reform". The word will be cleverly chosen according to focus group results and the assumption will be that the masses will again fall under the spell of his personality.

Mr. Obama is fond of comparing himself to Abraham Lincoln and often quotes his speeches. There is one quote attributed to Mr. Lincoln that he should perhaps read carefully, particularly the lesser known first sentence:

If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can't fool all the people all the time.

Mr. President, your prime time show next Tuesday will not ultimately move the American people to support you as they did before. As a result of your tax and spend policies, radical political appointments and disdain for those who disagree with you, you have lost their respect and esteem.