To All the Young People on Shore

To all the young people on shore thinking Barack Obama’s the political savior who’s going to lead them to the Promised Land and change America – watch out. This is politics.

You don’t remember, but President Nixon promised change – and gave us Watergate.

President Reagan – a great president – promised change and whipped the Russians – but found the Washington Political Establishment a tougher nut to crack.

Later, President Clinton promised change too – then sold sleepovers in the Lincoln bedroom for $100,000 a clip.

And, now, there are signs Barack Obama’s not exactly going to rip the Washington Establishment out by its roots either.

Consider offshore drilling. The man who’s going to end politics as usual danced the soft shoe with the adroit footwork of a political pro.

Or Joe Biden. Right now Obama’s telling anyone who’ll listen Biden’s been sitting in the Senate fighting for change for thirty-five years. But do you really believe that?

And what about the Democrats in Congress? Lobbyists have been swarming up and down the halls of the Dirksen Senate Office Building a long time. And for a reason. Both parties welcome them with open arms. Those lobbyists may pass a lot of bills that funnel money to special interests, but they survive because they help politicians too. If Nancy Pelosi really wanted to exile them to Katmandu – what’s she waiting for?

It would be a kind of political Nirvana if Barack Obama put a blowtorch to the roots of the Washington Establishment but the sad fact is that blowtorch is probably just another political fiction.

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