Taking A Stand

During the course of the last 4 years, we were fed the drumbeat that the US was "hated" by the world. The underlying implication of this meme was that we were hated because of President Bush and his policies and the media cure (during this election cycle) for that was a President Obama. Oh to be sure, some of the usual suspects helped perpetuate that meme, but now that the election is over and President-elect Obama is about to celebrate his inauguration the reality is becoming clearer.

Contrary to his earlier comments of support for Obama, dictator for life Hugo Chavez has decided that President-elect Obama is not going to bring much change after all.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Saturday Barack Obama had the "stench" of his predecessor as U.S. president and was at risk of being killed if he tries to change the American "empire."

Most world leaders expect a new era of U.S. foreign relations when Obama, a Democrat, is sworn in as president on Tuesday after Republican George W. Bush's eight years in the White House.

But Chavez said frayed ties with Washington were unlikely to improve despite the departure of Bush, who the Venezuelan leader has often called the "devil."

"I hope I am wrong, but I believe Obama brings the same stench, to not say another word," Chavez said at a political rally on a historic Venezuelan battlefield.

Chavez is not the only one with that opinion. It should come as no surprise that this protest took place in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Iran.

So why the sudden change of heart. I suspect in large part because of media culpability. The American media was very invested in coronating the "first African American President". Because of that investment, they were very careful to only report on the flowery speeches and the soaring rhetorical campaign promises. They completely ignored a long running voting record that simply did not match the rhetoric. The voting record (in the US and Illinois state Senate) showed a candidate that was afraid to take a stand on controversial issues. Senator Obama's favorite vote to make on controversial issues was "present". When certain bloggers and "right wing" pundits tried to point out the disconnect between the rhetoric and the record, we were pushed aside and told that history was being made and who were we to block history in the making. Now that the media has no choice but to report on the President elect backing off of his campaign promises on everything from Guantanamo Bay to embryonic stem cell research, everyone is shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU to find out that President-elect Barack Obama is nothing more than a politician who will say anything to get elected!

All of this should be good news for disspirited conservatives. For President-elect Obama has shown a pragmatic streak that can be used to keep the far-left Pelosi led fringes of the Democratic Party at bay. This is a good thing for all of us.

My friend Gary Gross has his own take on the whole "world hates the US meme". While he and I don't fully agree on the cause of the meme, it is a take to consider. You need to read it.