Give Pres. Obama a Break

Yeah I said it. Give Pres. Obama a break. The president has been in office a little over 60 days and he's been criticized on a range of things from his proposed budget to of all things, his frequent use of the teleprompter. Seriously, a teleprompter? The man is juggling a nose-diving economy, two wars, a jacked-up health care system, crooked Wall Street execs, a failing car industry, national security, rebuilding our image overseas, global warming, our dependence on foreign oil and other things we probably don't even know about. Don't forget the man has a wife and two kids. And he really hasn't had time to morn the death of his grandmother. I understand people on the right and some in the middle don't agree with his approach to the economy. They have a right to their opinion. Our president inherited a mountain of problems that will take longer than 60 days to fix. It took us more than 8 years to get here. It's going take a long time to get out of this mess. I've heard some economists say we may not get out of this until 2012. Some even say 2014.
I saw the president's press conference and people are saying the honeymoon is over with Pres. Obama. It is over. But he did a good job in the press conference. Pres. Obama checked CNN's Ed Henry when he asked repeatedly why the president waited a couple of days to react to the AIG bonuses.
"It took us a couple of days because I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak," Pres. Obama said.
When I say people should give Pres. Obama a break that doesn't mean reporters shouldn't ask him tough questions. I'm talking about the talking heads and politicians who are challenging him for the heck of it but don't have a concrete plan of their own. I'm also talking about people like former Vice President Dick Cheney who didn't say diddly squat for 8 years. I can probably count on two hands the number of times I saw Cheney do an interview. Now he wants to criticize Pres. Obama on national security. I'm with Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk (R)--save it for your memoir Mr. Vice President. You had your turn.

I'm also tired of the opposition saying Pres. Obama is a socialist and going to ruin the country. HELLO. Things were messed up before he took office. Whether you believe the economy took a bad turn because of decisions from the Clinton administration or the Bush Administration, it happened BEFORE Pres. Obama took office. Where was this sentiment that the country was going to fall in a black hole when Americans were drowning and dying post-Hurricane Katrina because our government took their sweet time to rescue people? Where was this outcry when troops were giving their lives for weapons of mass destruction that were just about as real as flying unicorns?

I wish our leaders from all sides could work together instead of attacking each other. Speaking for myself being unemployed is stressful when you don't have a lot of money. And I imagine for all those people losing their homes, living in shelters, struggling to take care of their families, or burying fallen soldiers, the last thing they want to see when they turn on the news is politicians bickering. Or listen to Rush Limbaugh say he hopes the president fails. I didn't vote for the last Pres. Bush but I sure didn't want him to fail. More of Washington needs to come on Main Street. And more talking heads like Rush should stop trying to boost ratings with their attacks and come out of the comfort of their studio to see what's really going on with the people. By the way, Fox News' Glenn Beck needs to take a chill pill. Even his boy Shephard Smith clowned him for crying about how he "fears for our country."

Everyone, including myself, is not going to agree with everything Pres. Obama does. But he's the president we have. Like my conservative aunt told me when the second Pres. Bush was "elected," give him a chance. He may not have turned out how I would have liked, but she was right. I should give him a chance before judging harshly. People need to do the same with Pres. Obama. I didn't agree with Pres. G.W. Bush but I do believe he loves our country. And I believe Pres. Obama loves our country and wants the best for us. But I highly advise Mr. Obama to get a dog soon because with all the hating on Capitol Hill and the airwaves, he's going to need a best friend quick.