L.A. Times: Obama’s Numerous Broken Promises A Sign Of Flexibility

May 18, 2009 8 Comments ›› Erik Wong

Patterico

If you loooove Obama, and he’s going back on all his promises, how do you spin it? Why, he’s flexible. He’s pragmatic!

And indeed, that is just what the L.A. Times did yesterday, in an article titled Obama puts pragmatism over promises. The deck headline: “His willingness to consider new perspectives and change his position, even when it angers his supporters, is a stark contrast to predecessor George W. Bush’s inflexibility.”

Unlike his predecessor, George W. Bush, who styled himself as “the Decider” and took pride in sticking with decisions come what might, Obama is emerging as a leader so committed to pragmatism that he will move to a new position with barely a shrug.

Whether it’s a long-standing campaign promise or a recent Oval Office decision, Obama has shown a willingness to reverse himself and even anger his most liberal supporters if he can advance a higher-priority goal or avoid what he sees as a distracting controversy.

See? Breaking promises is a good thing!

The list of Obama’s broken promises is startlingly long. Karl has extensively documented Obama’s broken promises; they include somersaults on issues like torture, wiretapping, state secrets, extraordinary rendition, military tribunals, free trade, open government, tax cuts, responsible spending, and many others. Pragmatism!

“This says a lot about how President Obama makes decisions,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “He stood up to his political base and made a decision.

“Changing one’s mind is a strength, not a weakness,” Graham said. “He’s realized the difference between being a candidate and being commander in chief.”

Being commander in chief means never having to say you’re sorry.

Let’s all swoon on the count of three.

The change from the Bush years is striking. Bush would “stick with his way no matter where it led,” said Matt Bennett, vice president of Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank. “Obama has the opposite personality and makeup.” Obama does not believe “that every progressive orthodoxy is sacrosanct,” Bennett said.

Yes, Obama is different from that Bad George W. Bush, who never changed his mind on anything — except for campaign finance reform, the nomination of Harriet Miers, the creation of a Department of Homeland Security, the creation of the September 11 Commission, the need for “nation building,” and probably a dozen or so other things you can think of.

According to the L.A. Times, Obama’s numerous flip-flops show his flexibility and pragmatism. Had George W. Bush broken so many promises, it would have been called something else entirely.

These people can spin anything, can’t they?