Keeping Hope honest...

The incoming Obama administration hasn't yet taken the reins of the White House, but they're certainly preparing themselves for the task at hand. His accompanying cabinet is bi-partisan in nature, with membership spanning both the Democratic and Republican parties. 

His cabinet selections are not without there own controversies. Obama's selection of Eric Holder as Attorney General upsets many who feel his ties to the Clinton Inc and his controversial pardon history are an unfair renege on Obama's earlier promises of "change". The new Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood has created an unwelcome stir among the environmental crowd because of his ties to the GOP and how he'll handle transportation issues as part of Obama's grandiose plan to revitalize the American transportation industry. Appointing Hillary as Secretary of State has certainly left some scratching their heads.

The point is that the days of tirelessly running around touting Obama over everyone else are quickly coming to a close. He's in. There's no one else to beat. You'll notice that the frequency of words like change, hope and "yes, we can" has fallen significantly in the media and from Mr. Obama. The country's (and the rest of the world for that matter) love for him should no longer be blind. And it is becoming clear that Obama is not the idealistic saviour that many (myself included) made him out to be during the last two years.

His faults are becoming increasingly clear as time progresses. He plays the political game like many other politicians, as his cabinet appointments have clearly indicated. The hulabaloo erupting with his selection of the strongly anti-abortion and anti-gay Rev. Rick Warren as part of his inauguration reflects the need to look at Obama's own values. He doesn't seem to be quite as left-of-centre as we made him out to be, as he's clearly tiptoeing the centre as he gets ready to take over the most difficult and responsible position in the world.     

This is not to say that I am angry at Obama, nor do I believe he isn't the right man for the job. He's doing what he should to run the world's most powerful country. But what makes the job so difficult is that he has to answer to his decisions and explain why and how he will make those decisions. The public and the media especially should not turn a blind eye to Obama's choices and statements, as many of us may have during the elections citing that "it's OK, he's the almighty Obama. Let's trust he knows what he's doing". 

So when Obama takes power on January 20, we can celebrate that we've finally got someone else running the country. But let's drop those pro-Obama allegiances, critically examine the administration and keep him honest. It'll keep the Hope-Train on the tracks and going in the right direction.