Wednesday night Barack Obama gave us a glimpse of what to expect from him once he is in the White House and, it proves that we are in for some big, not-what-we-think-is-right surprises.
We, the involved, informed and intelligent citizens of the United States, are going to have to get used to the FACT that our next President will NOT be heeding our well-considered, thoughtfully-debated advice. He will NOT be acquiescing to our net-roots opinions. He will NOT be following the course of action that we think is right.
...And thank freakin GOD!
For weeks and even months now I have been reading diaries and comments here at KOS about a potential John Edwards endorsement.
"By not endorsing now... NOW... or RIGHT NOW! Edwards is blowing the value of his endorsement... He's screwing Obama... screwing the Democratic party... his supporters... people without high speed internet..."
"Edwards is gaming both candidates for a Veep slot... a cabinet position... a jet ski..."
We all had our opinions. We discussed and debated. We KNEW what the right course of action and timing should have been. We were getting nervous and concerned.
And then, at the exact moment the Obama campaign wanted him to, Edwards endorsed. And we could all instantly see the brilliance of the wait.
Endorsing before North Carolina would have been a waste because they knew they were going to crush there. Endorsing before West Virginia would make Hillary's predicted victory look even stronger (i.e. "Barack can't win even with Edwards' endorsement").
Endorse after W.V. and, in a single move, completely blunt the numerical, symbolic, psychological and media victory that Hillary could have proclaimed.
Oh yeah, and put on a powerful piece of political theater that viscerally and visually demonstrated what a united Democratic party looks like on prime time TV.
The Obama campaign knew W.V. was coming and they kept the Edwards powder dry.
KEY INSIGHT: No one here thought of this
(edit: it turns out some of you did)
Fast forward to the White House...
It's 3AM and there's a crisis somewhere in the world.
Barack does not react with a jerking knee. In fact, he saw this coming five months ago and has been carefully and quietly laying the foundation of what to do when it erupts.
The media and the Kossacks scream for action. We all know the answer and what should be done - it's obvious and right in front of our eyes! More than that, we know we are right because the even the freakin' polls support our position... I mean the people are with us on this one - look at the FREAKIN POLLS for crying out loud!
Barack waits and then with perfect timing, grace, style he does it his way - the way he planned all along - the way that handles the situation cleanly and most effectively.
So what's this big switcharoo from the headline?
We are all going to have to come to grips with the fact the Obama Administration, like the Obama campaign, will be SMARTER than we are.
And honestly, that's a switch I am looking forward to.
Thank you for reading.
UPDATE: Many commenters have noted that the timing of the Edwards' endorsement was his decision and may not have been Obama's. On the day after the N.C. primary Edwards went on several TV shows where it became clear that he voted for Obama(here's an example). Many in the media pressed him and he said that he just didn't feel that this was the right time for his endorsement. I do not know how long the Obama campaign was aware of his support but it is very likely that it was at least before the N.C. primary. I only use the Edwards endorsement as one relevant example of where I was personally blown away by how much smarter Obama is then at least me and the media.
P.S. thanks for the rec list! this began as just a fun little note I started writing after seeing Obberman's show that started with the Edwards endorsement and ended with our current Freakin Idiot in Chief giving up golf.