President Obama Vs. Candidate Obama

On the campaign trail, Obama promised to take federal funding for his campaign, to close Guantanamo, and to televise dealmaking on healthcare reform. Promises made - promises all broken.

Candidate Obama promised to take federal funding for his campaign, to close Guantanamo, and to televise dealmaking on healthcare reform. Promises made - promises all broken.

The turnaround is not altogether surprising. Did Mayor Daley do his dealmaking in public? It's the Chicago Way.

But Daley’s back-room back-scratching involved only local matters: a courthouse here for an el-train stop there, etc. It's audacious to apply these alderman-like processes to 17% of the entre U.S. GDP.

When questioned about the president's breach of promise, Speaker Pelosi laughed uncomfortably. “Really? There are a number of things he was for on the campaign trail…”

Robert Gibbs' defense was that the public already knows all we need to know.

GIBBS: Mike, how many stories do you think NBC has done on this?

QUESTION: Speaking for myself --

GIBBS: Just a guess.

QUESTION: That's not the issue. The issue is whether he broke an explicit campaign promise.

GIBBS: So the answer is --

QUESTION: I deal with the information that --

GIBBS: So the answer is hundreds, is that correct?

QUESTION: Right, but that's got nothing to do with it. I deal with the information, however much or little of it, there is. I'm saying would people benefit by having more information?

GIBBS: Have you lacked information in those hundred stories? Do you think you've reported stuff that was inaccurate based on the lack of information?

With the ever-important independent voters abandoning their president and his party in disillusionment, may I suggest that the Democrats retire the “hope/change” phrase and instead look to a Pete Townshend line to understand why: “Meet the new boss…same as the old boss.”