There Will Be Blood

I'm glad to see the President has returned.

Returned from where you ask? Oblivion. Purely and simply, oblivion.

It has seemed to myself, no matter what he and the Democrats have achieved over the past two years, the aftermath of each achievement was to allow the propaganda machine on the right to paint an amazingly unrealistic picture of how each accomplishment was a harbinger of armageddon. But today Mr. Obama addressed the nation, rebuking the Republican's plan for the next year's fiscal budget. He was assured, confident and most importantly, he was on the offensive.

Welcome back from Oblivion Mr. President.

Much has been made for the past two years of how President Obama and Presidential Candidate Obama seemed like two completely different individuals. Say what you will about the promises made during his campaign, but people on both sides of the aisle have to admit that the candidate gave great, stirring speech. He gave hope to a nation which sorely needed it, at a time when we were poised on the brink of the abyss. Now, after a headlong plunge into the great chasm, I think most on either side would say that Obama the President has not delivered the same hopeful feelings, even as he has made some strides.

As promised, he has tried to work with both sides, attempting to bury the rancor of Washington politics. But it hasn't been very leader-like. As illustrated by this last week, when during budget talks, he and the Democrats gave more to the Republicans than they were initially asking, the Republicans continued to spew vitriol, while the President proclaimed the deal historic. The rest of the left, as usual, seemed to have no comment. I can't count the number of times I've screamed at my television, at the President, wishing he would grow a pair of testicles.

Today he drew his line in the sand. Today the President explained calmly and rationally how he was not going to throw the American people under the bus. He flat-out stated that he refused to do such -- it would not happen as long as he was president. But also, like Obama the candidate, he did so with hopeful overtones, allowing for the possibility -- not without some belt tightening -- of a future for all, a future where we would invest in education and preventative medicine like other industrialized nations, unlike the right's plan to simply take all services away from those but the richest.

Once again, welcome back from Oblivion Mr. President.