February 11, 2010
Obama's Taxi
During the State of the Union address, Barack Obama played the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" card to win back some support from his fading base on the Left, but as we discussed last week, once again he'll depend on Congress to carry the baton across the finish line.
Congressional liberals were heartened when Barack Obama pledged to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," but their initial elation has given way to concerns the repeal will stall in the penalty box of presidential promises: the U.S. Senate.Obama's historic commitment - featured prominently in his State of the Union speech last month - helped soothe his frayed relationship with the politically powerful gay and lesbian community.It also sent a strong signal to the Democrats' demoralized, demobilized progressive base that he's still on their side, after delays and compromises on the public option, cap and trade and the closing of Guantanamo Bay.But House Democratic leadership aides tell POLITICO they are growing increasingly worried over the lack of a detailed White House road map for passing a repeal - and that without such a road map, repeal will end up in the same kind of Senate gridlock that hobbled health reform. (emphasis added)
While Obama can't issue an executive order to repeal DADT, he could issue an order suspending the discharging of gays in the military. But he's not going to do that. Instead he's supporting a study to examine the impact of allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military, which will take a year to complete. From there, it's anyone's guess as to when the ending of DADT will come to fruition because Obama doesn't have any idea how to get the job done, and ultimately it's another issue whose fate will lie with Congress.
Just weeks before Barack Obama was to be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stated adamantly, "I do not work for Barack Obama. I work with him." Like Reid, I imagine the other members of the 111th Congress expected to work with the president as opposed to for him, but they were sadly mistaken. Obama campaigned on the theme of change, and he's governed under that mantra, but he's left the implementation of it completely up to the legislative branch. As a result, it has served as the president's taxi, taking him to where he wants to go while he relaxes in the back seat, patiently waiting to reach his desired destination.
The president should be the one driving his agenda, but he continues to expect others to put their foot on the gas. His actions don't pass the leadership test, and consequently, he's failing not only his party, but the country as well.
How long will it be until the members of Congress tells Obama to get out of their cab?
Driving Obama has placed many of their political careers in peril, because as the special elections and polls continue to show, the American people want new representatives to drive them.
J.C. Arenas is a frequent contributor to American Thinker and welcomes your comments at jcarenas.com
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