Obama: Is it too early to consider impeachment?

Barack Obama will never stop disappointing us, so we might as well get used to it. By "disappointment," what I mean is that he will not do exactly what we want, all the time, in every circumstance. On one issue or another, one speech or one action, he will vex us, anger us, hurt us, disappointment us. Them's the facts of life and we might as well adapt here and now or at some point, our heads will explode.

I have been bummed by a number of things from Obama recently. It does not look like he'll do anything to stop telecom immunity. I wish he'd ignored < href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gen-wesley-clark/bushs-third-term_b_109188.html" target="_blank">Gen Clark's words about McCain's lack of experience (with which I heartily agree). He's got some advisors I wonder about. He seems to think the death penalty is ok for non-murder crimes (hell, that he even thinks it's ok at all bums me).

But this is ok. It's like how we had to parse the differences between Obama and Hillary: they were so close on most issues, it hardly mattered in that regard. Most of the time, and on most of the issues I care about, Barack Obama is unlikely to disappointment me. I know he will give his best effort and be true to the beliefs we hold in common. I also know he is smart and one of the most political savvy people around; he'll figure out ways to make things happen that would stump other politicians.

There is no single deal-breaker between me and Obama; there was with Hillary — her war vote and subsequent refusal to admit she had been wrong — but that was possible because a better candidate was available anyway: Obama. As President, unless he completely changes character, I know he will do the best he can to bring the troops home, develop universal health care, fix the economy and so on. He will honor the Constitution. He will be the president I am hoping he will be.

The title of this post comes from an old Doonesbury cartoon, where Mark Slackmeyer, in his usual (and younger) attack dog mode, wonders if, a mere few weeks into the Reagan presidency, if it's not too soon to consider impeachment (it wasn't). I hope Obama supporters can avoid sinking into ridiculous modes of outrage over individual decisions he makes. It is far less important what he does regarding FISA now, as a member of the Senate, than that we elect him president. He's not going to vote to suspend the Constitution, for godsake. He'll make tactical votes to maintain good relations with other Senators so that in 2009 he can call upon them to restore full rights to all Americans, fund health care, end the wars and fix all that's been broken by Bush since he took office.

If anyone wants to get pissy about Obama and certain decisions, just remember this: People got pissy about Gore and accused him of being no different than Bush. Let's not go stupid again, ok?