I just saw on CNN that President Obama will announce at noon, EDT, that he's switching parties to become Republican!
What the holy-frickin'-hell?
So, the guy takes office a little more than a year ago after a huge landslide victory over McCain, and now he does this?
This ain't the change I can believe in!
According to the New York Times:
"I have decided to just come out and admit what people have been saying all along," Mr. Obama said in a statement. "I've been accused of being a Republican from all sides of the political spectrum. Therefore, I have decided to 'put my money where my mouth is' and make an official change in party."
The president further went on to say that he has been thinking of a party switch for several months now, and those feelings got stronger as the rancorous debate over health-insurance reform dragged on.
The November election of Scott Brown as senator from Massachusetts seemed to be the final straw, according to the president.
"That made me realize that I'd never be able to push through my agenda with a 59-seat majority in the Senate," he said. "I'll be much more able to govern as president of the same party that has a 41-seat Senate majority."
Still, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he's unconvinced, and would have to wait to see the full fallout of the party switch to decide how he will react.
"I mean, on the face of it, it's a wise and statesmanlike decision," McConnell said. "We are certainly happy with how the whole health-care reform package worked out for us, and of course we were delighted by the president's announcement yesterday to open up most of the U.S. coastal waters to offshore drilling. He's been acting like a Republican, so we are cautiously optimistic that he'll turn into a fine Republican president."
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he was dumbfounded by Obama's surprise announcement.
"I got a call about 5 a.m.," said Gibbs. "The president just simply said that he'd make an announcement today. Nobody had any clue this was coming."
Gibbs said that he was unsure if he'd be able to work with a Republican President Obama.
First Lady Michelle Obama was less circumspect in her reaction.
"That fool! I like to slap that man upside his head when he told me this last night," Mrs. Obama said. "Malia's been crying all morning. I just know one thing: I ain't sleeping with any damn Republican!"
Obama's opponent in the 2008 presidential election, Arizona Sen. John McCain, said that he, too, was taken aback by the announcement, but that he was sure that his party would welcome President Obama "into the fold."
"I guess the Tea Party activists have shown the president the error of his ways," McCain added.
Obama's party swith is the first time that a president has changed parties while in office. However, other politicians have changed parties, most recently Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's switch from Republican to Democrat.
Reached by phone at an undisclosed location, former Vice President Dick Cheney cackled with glee and predicted this would be the beginning of a turnaround for the Republican Party.
Former Alaska Governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was skeptical, however.
"You just can't trust a Kenyan," she said.