Glass half full

I've been frustrated lately as I've read comment after comment by Obama supporters who seem to have grown disillusioned with our candidate. Several recent statements by Obama have lead some to dismay that he is not the left-wing messiah they had hoped for. Namely, these concerns have involved his statements that he would be willing to "refine" his Iraq policy after speaking with the generals there, that he disagreed with the Supreme Court's recent decision barring the death penalty for child rapists, and that he would be willing to compromise on federal wiretapping legislation. (See, e.g. here, here, here, and here).

Gail Collins makes some great points in this recent Op-ed in the New York Times. Her basic point is that, since most of us supported Obama over Clinton for his willingness to seek political compromise and un-divide our politics, we shouldn't be shocked when he actually begins to compromise. We shouldn't be shocked that he doesn't stake his candidacy on arguing against the death penalty for child rapists. We should understand the wisdom of his position that he'll shape his Iraq policy based in part on his conversations with the generals who are actually in Iraq. What Obama promised us was competent, reasonable policy, not a left-wing revolution. To wit:

Think back. Why, exactly, did you prefer Obama over Hillary Clinton in the first
place? Their policies were almost identical — except his health care proposal
was more conservative. You liked Barack because you thought he could get us past
the old brain-dead politics, right? He talked — and talked and talked — about
how there were going to be no more red states and blue states, how he was going
to bring Americans together, including Republicans and Democrats.

Exactly where did everybody think this gathering was going to take place? Left field?

It seems that many on the left would rather have a political martyr than a Democratic president. They want Obama to stand up against all the wrongs of the right, even if it means risking the presidency and 4 more years of GOP rule. They forgot that Obama is no longer running simply for the Democratic nomination, but for president of the United States; the whole United States, and not just the northeast and the west coast. In a democracy, the greatest leaders are those who effectively represent the interests of the majority, while balancing those interests against his or her principles, our fundamental rights, and the need to protect minority interests. As private individuals, most of us can afford not to compromise, to stick to our views and adapt them to no one. But as a president, Obama would be charged with representing the will of a nation. Along with the privilege of leadership comes to obligation of service, the obligation to sacrifice part of your own will for that of the People. And I am confident that Obama will serve us all while leading the nation in a direction that is smarter, more compassionate, and more respectful of human and civil rights.

I hope that my fellow Obama supporters won't forget about the things that made them love our candidate in the first place: not his left-wing credentials, but his willingness to move our nation forward by making political compromises and executing policy in a competent, principled fashion. If we demand ideological purity among our leaders, we will likely never find one with whom we can be satisfied. Not in a democracy, at least.