Business as Usual

The Los Angeles Times this morning ran an editorial about President Obama's political appointments and how they are tied to campaign contributors. This small story is an example of how completely Obama has been assimilated into Washington culture.

 Individuals "bundle" contributions from various sources to give to political campaigns and these "bundlers" are rewarded with government appointments.  A study done on this  pointed out that not all appointments went to unqualified people.  Some of the "bundlers" were indeed very qualified for their jobs.  But many were awarded positions of little power or consequence ( I always think of Shirley Temple Black as an ambassador being one of these).  In fact the study said Obama has increased the number of these contributor appointments over appointments made by previous presidents.

I find this very disappointing.  It merely adds to my cynical view of government and my distaste for politicians of every stripe. Obama came into office riding a tide of promised change.  But instead we're still in Afghanistan, millions of Americans don't have health care, and in the words of the Times he's "revved up" the contributions for appointments tradition.  Nothing has changed.

I think once in office, political, military, and corporate interests exert enormous pressure on a president.  The exercise of power must also be an incredible high.  No longer does the candidate have to mix with the hoi polloi as he did to get elected. He now mixes with the powerful in every part of the world.  Heady stuff.

I assume his advisors press for their own agendas and whatever promises he may have made look different in light of information he is now cleared to access.  Maybe I didn't listen closely enough before the election (a distinct possibility), but I sincerely thought that we would be out of the Middle East by now and that we would not be a waging war with no stated objective in a third world country.   Eisenhower warned of the military industrial complex and 50 years later he's right on the money.  Our country is hemorrhaging money to finance both the government military and privatized military. I don't think anyone knows why anymore.

In Washington today, it is business as usual.  There has been no real change. Instead the candidate of change has been completely absorbed into the military industrial complex that is our government. Regardless of the pressures on the President from inside the beltway there is no excuse for his broken promises, especially as regards to military misadventures since he is the Commander in Chief and has the power to remove us from this ghastly conflict.

Thanks for nothing Mr. President.