Hope and change

Going into a new presidential administration, the best I could hope for my country is that the liberals who elected Barack Obama grow as frustrated with him as we conservatives have become with George W. Bush. Bush showed courage and true leadership in foreign policy, and I believe history will judge him as a great president for his protection of Americans in the midst of fierce political opposition in the post-9/11 global war on terror.

His domestic policy is another matter altogether.

Besides a few bright spots like tax cuts and the appointments of Justices Samuel Alito and John Roberts to the Supreme Court, he’s left a legacy of big-government liberalism that would’ve made any Democrat proud were it not for the controversial 2000 election and that unfortunate “R” after his name.

He teamed with liberals in expanding the role of the federal government in education, fought conservatives on illegal immigration, presided over the creation of the massive Department of Homeland Security and signed both the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform bill and the overbearing Sarbanes-Oxley regulatory legislation. He failed to show leadership in fighting the Democrats to reform Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Social Security.

So far, Obama has sent mixed messages on how he’ll lead. If he governs from his campaign rhetoric, we’re in for a lot of trouble. But if he continues some positive trends he’s shown since the election, there might be some room for, shall we say, hope.

For one thing, he’s already starting to anger the left-wing bloggers, and anyone who ruffles these kooks’ feathers must be doing something right. The decision to keep Robert Gates as defense secretary provided some post-election relief, and even Hillary Clinton’s appointment to secretary of state – painful as it is to say – could’ve been a lot worse. You hard-line anti-war types might get a little taste of reality in the months and years to come.

Obama’s economic shifts show positive signs as well. He’s cooled on taxing oil companies and repealing the Bush tax cuts. And while some observers have noted that entrepreneurs and leaders in the private sector are underrepresented in Obama’s economic team, he hasn’t chosen left-wing ideologues, either.

His choice of top economic advisor is Lawrence Summers, a moderate who’s advocated free markets and trade liberalization. In a 2006 tribute to economist Milton Friedman called “The Great Liberator,” Summers wrote, “Not so long ago, we were all Keynesians ... Equally, any honest Democrat will admit that we are now all Friedmanites.” Even the hated Karl Rove wrote that Obama “provided surprisingly positive clarity” when announcing his “first-rate” economic team.

Of course it will be difficult for Obama to resist the temptation to “spread the wealth around,” and we’ll have to be prepared for some legendary political battles. But unlike the liberals who’ve mindlessly slimed Bush at every opportunity for eight years, I’m ready to support our new president and root for his success.

Many Democrats embraced the notion that every loss for Bush was a win for them.

But while I unapologetically hope for the disappointment of the Left, I know that a win for Obama is a win for America.