Breaking up with George Bush

I’m loving all the comparisons of the end of the Bush presidency with the end of a bad relationship… And it’s true, when I was at the inauguration, it really felt very cleansing, like we needed 2 million people to stand in sub-freezing temperatures for eight hours in order to collectively cleanse of the past eight years. Here’s one blog post that makes the analogy. Since Tuesday I’ve realized just how low my standards have become for President – something that also happens in a bad relationship. Watching Obama repeal the gag rule, Hillary get confirmed and military prisons closed makes me realized how little I’ve come to expect from Washington.

And so the disappointments begin…

Both of us supported Obama for president, but neither one of us ever “drank the kool-aid” of his candidacy. I was actually an ardent Clinton supporter in the primaries, but eventually came around and even volunteered for the Obama campaign. So the chances of Obama majorly disappointing us were a lot lower than many of his supporters who utterly worshipped him. Still, I am pretty appalled that he not only chose Rick Warren to be the pastor at his inauguration, but is actually defending his choice. I find the idea of open-mindness when applied to people like Warren, who is the definition of closed-mindedness, a complete sham. Forget the overquoted comparison of homosexuality to incest. It’s the whole concept of bowing down to the intolerant evangelical right. You cannot unify those who oppose unity. Can we please stop pandering to that fringe group that already wields way too much influence? Obama is making a huge mistake and is not only disappointing his supporters, but is also alienating his base.