The Bloom Off the Rose

There is a big difference between changing your mind for the right reasons and changing your mind because your handlers say you have no choice. One says you're open-minded; one says you're open-headed.

John McCain, for all his recent negativity, has at least been consistent. And, let's face it, he's made some good points. Barack Obama is a celebritician. He would be terrible for American families. And, perhaps most disturbing of all, he has changed positions more often than the Kama Sutra.

This is not to say McCain has not changed his mind on certain issues; he has. The difference though, is that McCain can read the tea leaves better than most US politicians. He recognizes when the elements of an issue shift and require a fresh look. Take the current energy debate. McCain's instincts early on were to analyze the full scope of the problem and offer short-term and long-term solutions: a gas tax moratorium for the summer and a lift on the offshore drilling ban, respectively.

Obama's instincts, on the other hand, have been nothing if not reactionary. First, he dismissed the idea of a gas-tax holiday clearly because he hadn't thought of it first. In way of solutions, he called for the development alternative fuels -- something vehicle manufacturers have been feverishly scrambling to concoct for years. As the summer wore on and fuel prices showed no signs of dropping, or even leveling out, Obama realized he had to come up with something that would create a buzz before the issue killed his chances of being president. He suggested that Americans make a run on the air pumps at gas stations and fill their tires.

"Studies show this would reduce fuel consumption by three or four percent," Obama said.

After a short, confused silence, beltway insiders on both sides of the aisle burst out in raucous laughter. Embarrassed Democrats insisted it was all a joke, that their man had just been having some fun on the trail, exhibiting some of that glowing Obama charm. Meanwhile, his people whispered desperately in his ear, trying to convince him that a real solution has to be offered. At some point, the light came on, and Obama's next move was to call for depleting the nation's emergency petroleum reserves. The smack of hands slapping foreheads was heard all over DC.

"Well, this is an emergency ... right?" Obama reportedly asked his incredulous handlers.

Right, he was told. You're getting killed on this issue. That's the emergency.

In the end, Obama quietly muttered under his breath that it is time to ease restrictions on offshore oil drilling. The press conference was short, and no questions were taken.

This is just the first in a growing list of Obama's trademark changes of heart. Can you blame McCain for bringing it up? From his perspective it's a matter of national security. After all, we're talking about a liberal whose first major foreign policy idea was to meet with every international thug who has bullied his way into a position of dictatorial power, and to meet with them on their turf, without precondition.

"We can't be afraid," Obama said.

No, but we can't be stupid, either, his handlers said.

Obama's response to the ensuing public furor over his announcement?

"No. No. No," he said. "You got it all wrong. What I actually meant to say was that I would not meet with every enemy of the US. Even if I did, I certainly wouldn't meet with them on their turf and there would obviously be certain conditions."

The media ate it up. They asked him tough questions like, "Mr. Obama, over here! Who are you wearing today?"

But beltway insiders were no longer laughing. There was a very different mood in Washington and a lilt at the end of every liberal sentence. To their credit, members of the media finally picked up on the sense of quiet desperation washing over prominent Democrats, but just as they started asking real questions, Obama announced he was going on vacation and Nancy Pelosi turned off the lights.

The bloom has officially come off the rose.