RETHINKING THE BLAME GAME

Now that the pit bull with lipstick has given McCain a "surge" in the polls, it seems that everyone (and their dog) can't wait to jump in and tell Obama how's he screwing this thing up. For example, the politically adept Arianna Huffington recently stated that it's time for Obama to find his inner anger. Here's a quote ...

To fully become the transformational leader we need, Obama must demonstrate to the American people his capacity for indignation -- for the kind of ferocious passion that fueled King and Nelson Mandela. He has to fight fire with fire, and wield anger in the service of what right, true, and good. The fierce urgency of now demands nothing less.

Likewise, the self-described apolitical Thomas L. Friedman felt the need to get in the conversation this time around and give Obama some tips about changing his calm temperament ...

I confess, I watch politics from afar, but here’s what I’ve been feeling for a while: Whoever slipped that Valium into Barack Obama’s coffee needs to be found and arrested by the Democrats because Obama has gone from cool to cold.

This is just two high profile examples, but let's not forget about the countless other posts on the blogasphere with a similar theme. Here's a quote from one of my recent favorites ...

Is Obama now going to let himself get moosed by a parochial Alaskan know-nothing because she's a woman? ... Time to get mad. At Palin. At McCain. At the Bushes (yes both of them) ...

... Your move, Senator Obama.

Of course, for every Huffington and Friedman, you'll find others who are telling Obama that he must be very careful not to come off as an "angry black man" (Oh, the horror!). So, what's the poor guy to do?

In the past two presidential elections, I'll admit that I was complaining as loudly as anyone about the missteps of the DemocratIC candidates. Like many others in 2000, I would constantly ask why Gore wasn't showing any genuine emotion. I mean, do you think the Oscar and Nobel Peace Prize winning Gore of today would have lost to Bush? And in 2004, I kept yelling at Kerry to vigorously defend himself against the swiftboat attackers. Think of how different it might have been had Kerry come out swinging after those ads instead of wind surfing.

Well, you know what? ... I'm not playing the Democratic blame game this time. With the exception of some minor cases where Obama might have zigged instead of zagged, I'm not seeing how Barack has done anything horribly wrong to this point. So, I have a new philosophy for this election ...

If -- after the last 8 dark years of Bush destroying the world -- the American people would actually elect a clueless, Republican, neocon, war hawk simply because he plucked an inexperienced, Republican, neocon, good looking, Super-Christian, wolf hunter out of obscurity and stuck her in front of the cameras to distract them from the real important issues of our day, then America gets the leaders it deserves! And if the "liberal media" once again lets Republicans say and do whatever they want while (at the same time) micro analyzing the Democrats, then Obama probably never had a chance in the first place. Therefore, when President Palin finishes Bush's job of driving the country into the ground, I will not be blaming Obama this time around; I will be blaming us.

If you want another piece of unsolicited advice, Senator Obama, then here's mine ... Just keep doing your thing, brother, and I'll be proud to stand behind you.

Your move, America.