As Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney have now pulled ahead as the likely final contenders in the Republican campaign for the presidency, there’s a buzz you can hear almost everywhere about both men. “They are political flip-floppers.” It’s actually true. The problem is, though, that the same thing can be said of most politicians. Consider President Barack Obama. As the candidate with the golden tongue, Obama made a lot of lofty promises to adoring crowds. Yet, in the final analysis, the one thing that successful politicians share in common is that they are all flip-floppers.



In Obama’s case, one of his biggest flip-flops came with the pledge to close the Guantanamo detention center. Obama wasn’t alone. Europeans were almost unanimous in their distasteful opposition to our maintaining Guantanamo. However, when the time came to accept dangerous terrorists on their own soil, European governments declined to do so as their citizens let out collective sighs of relief.



Obama regularly lashed out at the Bush administration for failing to establish “a legitimate legal framework that undermined our capacity to ensure swift and certain justice.” The effort to move trials to New York City, where Democrats hold an iron grip, went over like a lead balloon. In the end, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-conspirators alleged to have planned 9/11 will be tried before a military tribunal in Guantanamo.



Remember Obama’s irritation about President Bush using American force in Iraq without Congressional authority? Once elected, however, his irritation quickly vanished when he blithely bypassed Congress and ordered military action on Libya.



Candidate Obama scourged George W. Bush for damaging America’s global reputation. At the time, it seemed that only Obama’s election could restore the love and trust we deserved all around the world. Once elected though, President Obama went out of his way to insult Great Britain, and put a frost over our traditional warm relationship with Israel. As though that weren't enough, Obama literally bowed before our enemies during a series of whirlwind tours in which he apologized for America’s alleged callous arrogance and interference in international affairs.



When it came to Egypt’s President Mubarak, Obama said, “He has been a stalwart ally, in many respects, to the United States. He has sustained peace with Israel, which is a very difficult thing to do in that region, but he has never resorted to unnecessary demagoguing of the issue and has tried to maintain that relationship. So I think he has been a force for stability and good in the region.” Just 20 months later, though, Obama’s administration called for Mubarak to go.



Things do change quickly for Barack Obama. Candidate Obama pleased NASA scientists when he pledged, “As president, I’ll make our space program a priority again by devoting the attention and resources needed to not only inspire the world with feats of exploration but also improved life here on Earth.” Once elected, however, President Obama moved to put the final brakes on NASA’s Constellation program.



When it comes to the economy, Obama’s swing and sway with Wall Street stands as a true example of inconsistency. During the election, Obama’s anger toward Wall Street was a standard feature of the campaign. Once in office though, Obama cautioned Americans against demonizing all of Wall Street. Such a change of attitude might have been connected to the financial flow which assisted the Obama campaign. However, that loyalty shifted quickly when he saw the ‘Occupy Wall Street” movement as a potential political ally. Blaming corporations rather than his own administration for the lackluster economy was so tempting that it initially led to Obama’s support for the protesters.



The principle of modern political rhetoric seems to be, ‘You don’t have to mean it to be sincere.” What’s surprising is that anybody would attribute flip-flopping to any particular candidate.



Our problem is to somehow sort out the difference between what politicians say and what they really mean.





Read more: Mazzaglia: Obama has his own flip-flops - Wayland, MA - Wicked Local Wayland http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/opinion/x1326043657/Mazzaglia-Obama-has-his-own-flip-flops#ixzz1gIyViS7S