The last eight years have for the most part been part and parcel; a massive exercise in greed and manipulation. From the highest reaches of government and finance, we have witnessed excesses that were the norm back in the days of the robber barons.

The rampant abuses are reminiscent of an uglier time in our history; the arrogance of wealth and power is now seen as the perks of being one of 'the boys'. This arrogance is seen daily in our political leaders and the so-called giants of Wall Street.

In 2000, George W. Bush was selected as the heir to the Presidency; just as in some of Europe's oldest monarchies, ability was trumped by being a member of the lucky sperm club. As is the norm in monarchies, one's aptitude or lack of same only becomes a problem when one is called to perform above one's ability, and as he have seen over the past years, he fails stupendously.

As an electorate, we missed the opportunity to 'throw the bums out' and instead chose to 'stay the course' and returned the same idiots to office and expected a different outcome; a sure sign of electoral insanity.

Many of us were criticized for our lack of enthusiasm for our elected officials, the problems in government were manifold; unqualified people were making decisions that would have a lasting effect on us. The Abu Grahib and Katrina scandals laid bare the horrible truth. We were on a ship without a rudder.

In 2006, it seemed like we were coming to our senses, the Republican majority in the House of Representatives was replaced by a Democratic one, but it was still business as usual.

Which brings us to the 2008 election, on the Republican side, it seemed like they were all trying to bring us kicking and screaming into the nineteenth century with their emphasis on more laizzes-faire economics and a nativist turn that would have scared even the Know-Nothings.  I would not have been surprised to see the retread of the Alien and Sedition Act of the eighteenth century.

Then came Barack Obama...skinny black guy from Chicago by way of Hawaii, and Indonesia. A one term U.S. Senator from Chi-Town, he really shook things up.  He denied the heir apparent the chance to run for president (pissin' off a bunch of folks, among them Hillary, Carville, the PUMA's, Chris Matthews, the Sunday Talking Heads, just to name a few).

November 4^th, 2008 and January 20^th, 2009 are days that will be marked forever in the history of the United States; not only did we undo the Republican majorities in both the Senate and the House of Republican, we also managed to elect the skinny guy from Chicago, we also swore him in as the forty-forth President of the United States.

Many things happened in 2008 that made this possible, McCain and Palin, the Wall Street bubble that had been threatening to explode finally burst, and then there was McCain and Palin. I just can't thank that old' maverick enough!

This brings us to the title of this post: The Failed Obama Presidency.

He has been in office for less than ten days and yet we still have all these problems to deal with.

·        Wall Street has not recovered the five thousand points that it lost over the past two years. On the contrary, it seems as if it has stagnated. The Masters of Ponzi, which may be a new post graduate degree, Madoff, Nadel et. al are not in jail, they are under house arrest. Roger Thain, late of Merrill Lynch spends over a million dollars to redecorate his office. All this and more.

·        Universal Health Care has not been passed...we who voted for Obama, must ask ourselves whether or not we have made a colossal error in voting for him. It's called leadership!!

·        The so-called 'Stimulus' bill is still tied up in Congress even though we own the House and the Senate. The fear of being bold seems to have taken hold, now is not the time for the timid.

·        The Middle East in its current iteration is impossible to maintain, the inability to see this problem as a human rights issue is what is clouding the solution. Israel cannot maintain its territorial integrity as it stands today; the risk of a nuclear confrontation is too high. The Palestinians lack an honest broker that can be bold enough to suggest a radical solution. A two state solution is not a solution at all, a negotiated one state solution, in my opinion, is the only way out. It is a bold and radical proposition that deserves a chance.

There is an element of sarcasm in what I call 'The Failed Obama Presidency'; we've become so accustomed to immediate gratification that we've forgotten how long it took us to get into the position we find ourselves in. The issues we face today had its origins during the Reagan administration, they were exacerbated during the first Bush presidency and they were made worse during President Clinton's 'Third Way' when the DLC managed to turn the Democratic Party into republican 'lite'. The dismantling of The New Deal protections for workers continued apace throughout the  Dubya's administration and culminated in what we are facing today, malfeasance on Wall Street, crooked politicians, and ideologically driven opposition whose heroes are small minded and lacking in their civic and patriotic duties.

The Obama Presidency can only succeed if it takes the bull by the horns, this is what I voted for, and it is also what the American people expect from the 'skinny black guy from Chicago.

There you have it...or not.

Update: The House passed stimulus bill along party lines.