A Table for Four

The first time I ever got paid for writing anything was the best part of 30 years ago in San Francisco. There, a now defunct magazine for wine and food afficionados, ran a competition, which was called, “A Table for Four”. The idea was that people should write a couple of hundred words describing their perfect dinner party or rather the people they would like to have as their dining companions.

There were few restrictions placed and the people could be past or present, living or dead, real or imaginary but you had to say why you had made the choices you had. Anyway, my three choices were Winston Churchill, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein. The first two were easy to explain as I’m a history freak and those gentlemen were profoundly influential in their own time as well as in ours today. So too was Einstein but for different reasons and I chose him because I add astronomy to my preferred freakiness.

Although it was not the reason that he won his Nobel Prize, his most powerful contribution most surely, was his “Theory of Special Relativity” and I’ll spare you the theoretical physics and the associated equation, but it did highlight one oft over-simplified fact which is that everything is relative except the speed of light which is absolute. In other words, we judge things, events and people relative to some standard or another.

Sometimes we just compare people to their peers but there are other measurements especially for American presidents. These might include an evaluation of how they measure up to the responsibilities of the Constitution which they are sworn to “preserve, protect and defend. Or it might be as simple as veracity; In other words have they kept their promises?

In order that we don’t complicate it all too much, let’s restrict ourselves to just these two examples of relativity. For a start we know that the Constitution requires that the person tapped to take on Cabinet rank must be vetted and approved by the Senate. But we also know that Obama has circumvented this requirement by appointing so-called “czars” and the reason is that he knows that Senate approval would not be forthcoming for many if not all of these far-left academic types.

The fact is that Obama abhors our treasured Constitution with a passion bordering on hatred. Unlike most such safeguards in other countries, ours restricts that which the Government can do and reserves unto the people everything else. To a control-freak like Obama, this is anathema and until he can find a way to change it, he’ll circumvent it; Enter the Czars. And after only a few short months, that’s not a good sign so, therefore in things Constitutional, up to now he gets a failing grade.

But, not everyone has read the Constitution. I have and I’m sure you have, and so let’s rate Obama by our second criterion. Does he tell the truth? I’m biased and I admit it but let me ask some questions and I’ll let you answer.

On the campaign trail for his office, Obama maintained that this nation could not sustain a $459 Billion deficit. He has made it into $1.4 Trillion this year. Can you spot the disconnect?

At the beginning of February this year Obama warned that, with his proposed stimulus package, the jobless rate would be capped at less than 8%. Well, it passed and now that rate is closing in on 10. Can you spot another disconnect?

Try this too. According to Obama on the campaign trail; “I have a plan to get us out of Iraq by March 2009 and out of Afghanistan by August of that year. Then, once inaugurated, all that changed and we are still in Iraq and we are putting even more boots on the ground in other theaters. A disconnect?

And, while we’re on that subject, did you miss the new “Rules of Engagement” as ordained by the Pentagon via the Oval Office? These state, and I paraphrase, that the use of lethal fire is not authorized if there is any chance of “collateral damage”. That policy caused the deaths of 8 young Americans last week who were in a firefight with Taliban forces and called for artillery backup. The request was denied and American soldiers died needlessly. This is the action of a real Commander-in-Chief?

On the campaign trail Obama promised, in ringing tones, an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. We all saw the Gay protests in Washington DC last week so clearly that promise has been thrown under the bus. And whether one agrees with the policy are not is irrelevant; The promise was made and broken.

Gitmo was going to close forthwith. Well it hasn’t has it?

The Patriot Act was going to be repealed. Well it hasn’t and Obama and his team are gleefully using its provisions every day.

Well this post has been long, relative to most of the other entries and so I’ll simply say this.

Obama won't be invited to my dining table any time soon!