It's The Constitution Stupid!

There's the famous sign that Bill Clinton had in his office that said, "it's the economy, stupid!"  Well, it's still the economy, but that's being nudged into second place by The Constitution and all I have to say is that it's about time.

What the government doesn't seem to understand is that though they may disregard the constitution and relegate it to a meaningless piece of memorabelia, the American people still believe that it is the cornerstone of who we are and what our government is supposed to be. 

The trampling of the constitution will no longer be allowed by the majority of the American citizenry so while the economy is still a driving force in people's opinions of their leaders, it is now also the Constitution, stupid.

Obama Says Profits Are Bad

In justifying the take over of the student loan business from the private sector, Obama says that billions of dollars that could have helped send more students to college went to padding the company's profits.  So profits are bad and government is good. 

Let me ask this, which do you think is higher; a company's profit margin or their corporate tax rate?  Which do you think costs the consumer more?  Considering that the federal corp tax rate is 35% I know my answer to that question.  Adding some of the state taxes of 10% in,  we now have a 45% tax rate built into the cost of our products.  But is Obama speaking out about taxes cutting into the ability to give loans?  Nope.  It's the profits, and we all know what stellar years for profits the banks have been having.

What Obama is hoping to do is rile up anger against companies for being so inconsiderate to their consumers as to actually make a profit.  Oh the horror, oh the travesty of social justice, oh the shame.  Profits I am sure have murdered innocent children, taken food from the mouths of the starving and oppressed the masses into unrelenting poverty. 

This idea that the government should take industries over so that companies aren't "padding their profits" is socialism 101.  He's unapologetic in his belief that the government should run everything and yet he wonders why we're upset and angry.

Life Lessons From Children's Books

I finally watched Where the Wild Things Are last night and as I perused the trailer to decide whether or not I could trust the interpretation of the book I loved as a child, my mind took off on a wild tangent (as my mind often does) and I began thinking about how much I loved to read as a child - a love I brought with me to adulthood - and what was so special about those books.

Childrens books don't tell us that everything is wonderful.  They don't tell us that there are no winners and losers.  They don't try to scew our perspective as liberal leaders would like to do.  The great childrens books teach us about the hard and sometimes cruel realities of life in a gentle manner, and more importantly they teach us how to deal with these challenges with grace and dignity.  My tangent took me back to the Ramona Quimby novels by Beverly Cleary and all of those children on Klickitat St.  Romana's life wasn't perfect, but often stressful and difficult, which is why the books were good.  There was a lesson to be learned and Beverly Clearly was brilliant in teaching that lesson.

When I decided to go ahead and watch Where the Wild Things Are I decided to look for the lessons in that story and was shocked at what I found.  As I watched, the little boy Max reminded me more and more of Barack Obama.

Max shows up in the land of the Wild Things and at first begins destroying their village.  When confronted with it he claims to be King in order to save himself - a position he is wholely unqualified to fill.  As king he promises to make them all happy then procedes to build a Utopia.  Unfortunately he finds out that everybody has a different idea of what their Utopia is and that you can't make everybody happy.  He claims that all people will be equal but then gets questioned over why he is favoring some over others.  In order to bring the back together and heal the rift his leadership has caused, Max decides to separate them into good guys and bad guys and start slinging dirt at each other.  My favorite line was when he was deciding who was good and who was bad.  "I can't be a bad guy," he said, "I'm King.  I'm a good guy."  The dirt slinging of course does not bring them all together but drives them even further apart.

The main difference between the story and what is happening now is that little Max realized that his attempt to create a Utopia made the situation worse and not better.  He realizes that he is just a normal person and not qualified to lead and he steps down and goes home.

What I find so interesting is that Obama has failed to realize what we learned in a children's book.  You can't make everybody happy and you cannot impose your idea of happiness upon others.

Considering that the Producer of this movie was Tom Hanks, I do not believe the makers saw the same message I did.

Obama Explaining One More Time

Poor President Obama must be horribly frustrated with his perceived stupidity of the American people.  In spite of polls, protests and outspoken citizens at town halls, the president believes that if we only understood the bill then we'd support it.  He can't even fathom that we actually do understand it and this is why we DON'T support it.  I wonder what it feels like to be the leader of a nation of people you consider to be absolute dolts.

He has thrown everything he has at a horrible healthcare reform bill that will increase spending, bankrupt the country, not cover everybody, do nothing on this urgent problem for four years after it is signed into law and will do nothing to bring the cost curve of health care down.  Gee, what's not to support?

One of my biggest problems with the bill is that analysis has already shown that 60% of every dollar for healthcare services is for administrative costs.  The fastest and most efficient way to bring down the cost of healthcare is to eliminate or at least mitigate administrative costs.  Does anybody with more than a single brain cell believe that the big government organizations which will be created as part of this bill actually decrease administrative costs for your healthcare?  I sure don't.

By failing to do adequate research around what is causing the rise in costs, they cannot effectively fix the problem.  This is proven by them increasing, via their big fix, the largest current cost in healthcare.

Fueling the Economic Engine

Obama told a group of small business owners that he acknowledges that government can't build the economy (he doesn't believe it but he acknowledges that they do) but the government can and should fuel the engine. Let me ask you this; does your engine run without fuel?


He gives the analogy saying something he thinks we want to hear but reveals the truth. He believes that the economy is dependent on the government to be the "fuel". A total crock. The government is not the fuel, it is that gunk that builds up in your fuel line and causes your engine to spit and sputter. Government is the sugar in your gas tank that seizes your engine, leaves you stranded on the side of the road in a blizzard and costs you a month's salary to fix. But Obama has made even that situation worse.

Unsatisfied with clogging up the lines, he's pushed the private sector away from the gas nozzle and decided to fuel our big diesel engine of an economy on bacon grease and horse manure. Now the spitting, sputtering, seizing and shuddering engine of our economy has developed a frightening knocking sound and is beginning to smoke. As those pushed from control of the fuel tank wave their arms and raise their voices begging for him to stop, Obama puts on his earmuffs, turns his back and shovels another load of manure in the tank. If this keeps up we'd better all duck and cover because when that engine blows, and it will if the government doesn't stop trying to fuel it, we'll all be covered in shit.

Forget Vegas - DC is Gambling for You

The president singles out Vegas yet again stating that you shouldn't plan a trip to Las Vegas instead of saving for your child's college tuition.  I find this really interesting as he is currently gambling away our futures and our children's futures for us.

He's displaying the classic gamblers philosophy in all of his leadership moves.  You have to spend money to make money so let's lay a wad of cash down and see what we can make.  The Stimulus Package was one big slot machine play.  They put in the cash, pulled the lever and prayed it came up jobs.  They missed the jackpot payoff  -- they didn't even get their investment back, but in traditional gambler characteristic they are itching to put in more cash and pull the lever again, praying this time they'll hit the jackpot.

Also in gambler style, he's refusing the admit that he's on a losing streak and instead is determined to "double down" on his agenda.  Borrowing more and more money to gamble away in the hope of a big payoff.  This is exactly the behavior that causes people to lose their life savings and their kid's college tuition at the tables.  But instead of bankrupting an individual or a family, Obama's addiction to gambling with our hard earned money is going to bankrupt us all.

His constant claims of how things have improved and what a great job they've done is tantamount to claiming you won $100 at the slots but failing to mention you lost $4,000 at Roulette.

Is gambling away our money just one more thing the government believes they can do better than we can?  In this case they may be right.  They certainly piss away a lot more of my money than I do.

Obama Lectures Republican Caucus

The Republican Caucus invited Obama to come and meet with them so that they could actually discuss the alternatives that the Republicans have developed and which Obama continuously refuses to acknowledge.  So what does Obama do?  He stands up there and lectures the Republicans on why he's right and they're wrong and that they shouldn't be so partisan.

The one thing he said that bothers me the most is that they shouldn't be so concerned with their reelection or their poll numbers.  That doing the people's business is more important than their polls.  This translates into the biggest problem with this administration; that they don't give a rat's patooty what the people think or want.  The polls actually tell them how the people feel about the business they're doing.  It should absolutely be paid attention.

I just can't believe that he is reading a recycled campaign speech to the Republican caucus.  Oh wait, yes I can.

The man just won't listen to anybody.

Obamanomics Applied to Real Life

I've listened to Obama discuss his idea of ecnomics and fairness over and over again.  I think I understand but you tell me.  The easiest way for me to explain it is with ananologies.

There are 3 neighbors; Person A, Person B and Person C.  They all started out the year with the same job and the same salary. 

Person A plods along doing what they need to do but not striving to excel.  They live paycheck to paycheck and spend everything they make, saving nothing.

Person B works really hard, does as much overtime as possible, makes wise investments and spends only what's needed as they save for their dream vacation to Europe.

Person C plods along like person A, but also decides to spend all of their money on lottery tickets and lives off their credit cards.  They fall behind in their credit card payments and their mortgage.

Under Obamanomics Person B should pay Person C's credit cards and mortgage.  After all, if they can afford a trip to Europe they can afford Person C's mortgage.  If the three go out to dinner, Person B should pay for the meal for all of them.  Again, if they can afford a trip to Europe then they can afford the meal.  If they go to dinner separately, Person A should pay a low tax on their meal, Person C should pay no tax on their meal and Person C should pay a high tax on their meal.  They can afford it so why shouldn't they pay?

In the end, Persons A and C still plod along and save nothing while Person B has to cancel their trip to Europe due to a serious lack of funds.  The rule of Obamanomics, Person B is buggered.

Please let me know if I got this wrong.

Obamaville

Here is the Barack Obama personal theme song.

Obamaville

(To the tune of Margaritaville)

Got a lot on my plate

A negative jobs rate

And healthcare reform is in quite a coil

I bowed to a foreign king

Massachusetts saw a swing

As the voter’s blood is beginning to boil

Wasting away again in Obamaville

Ground the economy down to a halt

Some people claim that I’m to blame

But I know, it’s George Bush’s fault

I can see the reason

These folks I’m not pleasin’

They’re a bunch of redneck, inbred yahoos

They call me snooty

I don’t give a hooty

What they think, I know best what to do

Wasting away again in Obamaville

Ground the economy down to a halt

Some people claim that I’m to blame

But I know, it’s George Bush’s fault

Transparent, no I’m not

On C-Span I flip-flopped

Broke every promise I made on the road

On a spending bender

With China the lender

I only pray they don’t call in the loan

Wasting away again in Obamaville

Ground the economy down to a halt

Some people claim that I’m to blame

But I know, it’s George Bush’s fault

Some people claim that I’m to blame

But I know, it’s George Bush’s fault

Hey It Could Have Been Worse

As the Obama administration finally gets the message that people are unhappy with his focus on healthcare over the economy, Robert Gibbs comes out with the message of "hey, it could have beeen worse."

I suppose, if they openly tried to make the economy as bad as it could possibly be, then yes, it could have been worse.  However, I don't think their argument that it would have been worse if they didn't act holds water.  Quite the opposite.  I'm of the mind that if the Obama administration and Congress had taken the entire year of 2009 off, we would be in a much better economic situation than we are right now.

The deficit would be much lower without the wild spending sprees.  The job situation would be better without the looming taxes of healthcare and cap and trade.  The housing market may have found a bottom and begun a recovery. 

Things can always be worse than they are.  It's a mantra that many of us tell ourselves when a situation gets bad, but in this situation they shouldn't be trying to convince us of how bad it could be when we know that it's worse that it should be.

Try another tack Gibbs.  Wait, I know, it's Bush's fault.

Legally Adopted Haitian Babies Stuck in Haiti

At an orphanage in Haiti there are more than 100 children who have already been legally adopted by American families but the state department is dragging their feet on getting them out.

A plane is waiting in the Dominican Republican to bring those children to the US where their adopted families would receive them, but the US bureaucrasy is keeping those children stuck in a disaster area and away from their legally adopted families.

I can only imagine what the adoptive parents are going through as they wait for the state department to get their children out of that hell and into a safe environmnet in their legal US homes.

If Obama really wants to politicize the relief effort, he had better do something about this.

There Are More Than Two Options on Healthcare Reform

I saw Obama talking about healthcare reform again and saying if somebody wants to run on a platform against his healthcare plan (gee I wonder who he was talking about there) that it's ok.  They just have to explain to the people why they are voting for the insurance companies and the status quo. 

My cats scattered to the four corners of the earth as I began screaming at the television.

How can anybody believe the man can end the middle east conflict, fix the economy or win a war on terror when he can't even seem to grasp the concept that there are more than two options when it comes to healthcare reform?  He appears wholely inadequate to the task of viewing the healthcare debate in any way other than "my way or nothing."  Well Mr Obama, there are other options.  Lots of other options.  There are some options that would be worse, but even more options that would be much better.  Just because this is the idea that your panel of lawyers turned politicians came up with, doesn't mean it's a good plan.  You might, for just a second, consider the idea that there could be a better way to do this and that the people screaming at their representatives, booing them in public, calling, writing, faxing and begging to be heard don't necessarily want the status quo, they just don't want to make the situation even worse.

I know that the idea that there could be an option better than the one that you had to bribe Senators to vote for is a difficult for you, but try reallly hard to understand.  I know it's hard for you to see things right in front of your face considering you didn't hear anything racist or anti-american out of Rev Wright, but the country would appreciate it if you would at least try to wrap that itty bitty brain of yours around this idea.

The American people know that there are more than two options and every time you say a vote against your plan is a vote for the status quo we get more and more angry.  I can't help but wonder if your plan for transforming America is too make us all so angry with the stupidity and offensiveness of your arguments that all your detractors actually have strokes.  Is that your real healthcare reform plan.  Make the people so angry that they literally drop dead?  It's really beginning to look that way to me.

I find it amazing that you believe we have more options in how to take our coffee than we have in healthcare reform.  God save this country from the stupidity and blind ambition of it's leaders.

Social Justice - You're Responsible for the Irresponsible

As Obama announces his plans on how to get TARP paid back we see yet another recurring theme within this administration.  That the responsible are always on the hook for bailing out the irresponsible.  Although now this goes beyond those tax payers who spent wisely bailing out those who didn't, or even tax payers bailing out irresponsible companies and expands to the responsible companies bailing out the irresponsible ones.

If a bank did not make irresponsible decisions and did not require TARP funds, that does not in any way relieve them from the responsibility of paying back those funds they didn't take.  (Say what?)  If a bank took the TARP funds but have already paid them back, they will now be held responsible for paying back the money that somebody else borrowed.

Obama says that this is to ensure that the tax payers are paid back the money they lent, but for this tax payer it offends my sense of justice.  I want the money paid back, but I want it paid back by the people who actually borrowed it.  Forcing somebody to pay a debt which is not their own is the definition of injustice.  And this from the people who keep touting Social Justice as their theme.

So what is social justice?  Is it the belief that somebody else should be punished for your actions?  Have we reinstated the whipping boy methodology?  This appears to be the case.

The State of the US Local #946 Address

Obama has given a whole new meeting to the state of the Union address.  Who would have thought that when the president addressed the union he was actually addressing the United auto works, the Service employees, the electrictians and the welders.  But based on what he has done in his first year in office, is there any quesiton on what union he'll be addressing in his upcoming speech?  The one he's delaying until health care reform passes.  Certainly not the union of the states of this great nation.

The auto companies needed bailouts and everybody suffered - except the unions.  They pretty much own the companies now.
Job summits were held and the Chamber of Commerce wasn't invited by guess who was - the SEIU
Taxes will be levied on the great benefit packages for everybody except - the unions.
Who has had a seat at every meeting - the unions
Who has been invited to every party - the unions
Whose interests are more important than anybody else's to this administration - the unions.

So why don't we just change Obama's upcoming speech to the State of the US Local #946 address.

Is Al Qaeda an Alinsky Fan?

As I was listening to the news I was suddenly struck by the similarity between the tactics of the terrorists in reqruiting and the tactics of the Democrats in reqruiting so I began to research.  What I found did not aleviated my concern at all but sent a chill up my spine.

Not willing to subject myself to reading the entire book of Alinsky, I found a website that summarized nicely for me and has notes from other books on this subject.  Go here to see the information.

1.  The purpose - "Radicals must be resilient, adaptable to shifting political circumstances, and sensitive enough to the process of action and reaction to avoid being trapped by their own tactics and forced to travel a road not of their choosing."  We have heard much about the adaptability of Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

2.  Of Means and Ends - "The third rule of ethics of means and ends is that in war the end justifies almost any means...."  Is there any quesation that the terrorists are firm believers that the ends justify any means?

3.  The Education of the Organizer - "The organizer knows that the real action is in the reaction of the opposition."  For Al Qaeda it is not just about killing us, but in instilling fear in us and in interrupting our commerce and our lives through our reaction to their attacks.

4.  Communication - "One of the factors that changes what you can and can't communicate is relationships. There are sensitive areas that one does not touch until there is a strong personal relationship based on common involvements. Otherwise the other party turns off and literally does not hear...."  Al Qaeda's different levels of wide target recruitment of starting small and steadily increasing their message for the people who stay with them.  The very often don't throw the frog into the boiling water but place the frog in cool water and gradually turn up the heat.

5.  In the Beginning - The Process of Power - "The first step in community organization is community disorganization. The disruption of the present organization is the first step toward community organization. Present arrangements must be disorganized if they are to be displace by new patterns.... All change means disorganization of the old and organization of the new."  Al Qaeda has an advantage on this one in that they focus on areas that are already on shaky ground such as Afghanistand and Yemmen. 

6.  Tactics -   "Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy. Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty."  Do I really need to say anything there?

At first I thought that maybe, just maybe, Saul Alinsky got his ideas from how the terrorists were opperating, but what really concerned me was that Alinsky's book was published in 1971 and the first real terrorist attack was the Munich Massacre in 1972.


Could it be possible that Obama is so busy running these rules against this nation that he doesn't recognize that somebody he is supposed to be fighting is running them as well?

James Madison - Statesman and Prophet?

James Madison may have seen the coming of the progressive Messiah.  In his statements on Vices of the Political System of the United States as he worked to reform the Articles of Confederation, James Madison showed prophetic insight.

Here is some of what Madison said.

Representative appointments are sought from 3 motives.  1) Ambition.  2) Personal interest.  3) Public good.  Unhappily the two first are proved by experience to be most prevalent.  Hence the candidates who feel them, particularly the seond, are most industrious and most successful in pursuing their object:  and forming often a majority in the legislative councils, with interested views, contrary to the interest and views of their constituents, join in a perfidious sacrifice of the latter to the former.

A succeeding election it might be supposed, would displace the offenders and repair the misschief.  But how easily are base and selfish measures, masked by pretexts of public good and apparent expediency?  How frequentlly will a repetition of the same arts and industry which succeeded in the first instance, again prevail on the unwarry to misplace their confidence?

How frequently too will the honest but unenlightened representative be the dupe of a favorite leader, veiling his selfish views under the professions of public good, and varnishing his sophistical arguments with the glowing colors of popular eloquence?

Gee, that last bit really sounds prophetic to me.

Perfect Example Of Socialism

We keep hearing that health care is a crisis.  It's a crisis, everybody agrees it's a crisis.  Never mind that 60% of Americans are against the plan, everybody agrees.  We won't actually start covering new people for 5 years but it's a crisis.  And why is it a crisis?  It's because people have to file bankruptcy due to medical bills.  Some studies say that 60% of bankruptcies filed are due to medical expenses.  It is horrible that anybody ends up in that situation and my heart goes out to them, but if 1.5 million people file bankruptcy and 60% of those are due to medical bills, that means that 900 thousand people a year go bankrupt from medical expenses out of an adult population of 217.8 million.  This means that the percent of people who file bankruptcy due to medical expenses is less than one half of 1%.

In order to fix the problem for 0.4% of our population, Congress is willing to pass a health care bill that has the possibility of bankrupting the nation.  Therefore, instead of 0.4% of the population being bankrupt, we'll ALL be bankrupt.

This is the real problem with socialism.  It seeks "economic equality" or "economic justice".  The government and socialist policies cannot make us all equally wealthy, all they can do is make us equally poor.  The health care bill is the perfect example of what socialism really does.  It does not raise us all to the same high level, but reduces us all to the lowest common denominator.  Is that what we really want to be? 

He's A Chicago Guy

He's A Chicago Guy

(To the tune of The Night Chicago Died)

As we’re watching the decline

Of the worth of the dollar bill

A fix he’s yet to find

And I’ll bet he never will

On and on and on he drones

Hearing no voice but his own

Unemployment he ignorers

While on the Congress floor

We’re hearing Harry cry

With the agenda we all must comply

Give the President just what he wants

Or Rahm Emanuel will bludgeon us

Glory be

We’re hearing Nancy cry

Sacrifice your seat to please this guy

Forget about what the people want

We’ve got to get our agenda done

Yes indeed

Now the Hill is under the thumb

Of a plain Chicago thug

And capitalisms grave

They’ve already dug

As with health care, cap and trade

They try to spend our wealth away

And if you dare to disagree

You’re declared the enemy

We’re hearing Harry cry

With the agenda we all must comply

Give the President just what he wants

Or Rham Emmanuel will bludgeon us

Glory be

We’re hearing Nancy cry

Sacrifice your seat to please this guy

Forget about what the people want

We’ve got to get our agenda done

Yes indeed

When the American people called

To halt our country’s fall

They’re concerns were waved away

Just increasing their dismay

He’s a Chicago guy

Barack O-ba-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

He’s a Chicago guy

Economic justice spread the wealth

You have a right to a home and health

Glory Be

He’s a Chicago guy

Barack O-ba-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

He’s a Chicago guy

He’s gonna do what he’s gonna do

So better prepare ‘cuz we’re getting screwed

Yes Indeed

I really wish I had the technical capability and knowledge to record this and make a video to post on youtube.  Too bad I'm eletronically challenged.

He's Remaking America All Right

Obama has used the phrase "remaking America" in several of his speeches and it always gave me pause.  We as a nation do not need to be remade.  Restored perhaps, but not remade.  I couldn't help but wonder what he meant by this.  Now I know.

Our government was set up so that the majority of the power over domestic policy lies with the legislative branch.  What our founding fathers absolutely did not want was a single person in charge of everything.  A voted monarche as the case may be.  They created the balance of power to ensure that the bulk of that power was in the hands of many, and with a check and balance system.  So what is Obama remaking us into? 

With the appointment of Czar upon Czar Obama created positions of power not answerable to Congress and not voted on by the people.  This was an unprecedented growth in power of the executive branch but not anything to get our knickers in a twist over, right?  Well my knickers are officially twisted.  With the EPA now giving themselves the authority to regulate green house gases if Congress does not, imposing onerous requirements on businesses all to fix....nothing and in spite of the will of the people, we saw another huge power grab by the executive branch of the government.  Hot on the heels of that announcement we have Obama working behind the scenes to institute his plans for universal healthcare without a vote on the actual plan by Congress.  He and his cronies plan to go in through the back door by moving the responsibility for the Social Security Act from the Legislative Branch to the Executive Branch.

This administrations answer to get what he wants in spite of the will of the people is to move control over the issue from the legislative to the executive branch thereby defiling our founding principle to have the power in the hands of many and NOT the hands of one.

Consider that the Executive Branch was such up with so little power in the first drafting of a Constitution - The Articles of Confederation - that the branch didn't even exist.  Now that branch is snatching power from other branches with a disgusting disregard and disrespect for our entire form of government.

The ""Yes We Can" Slogan has now been revealed to translate into "Yes I can and if you don't like it I'll find a way around you."

Months ago, as a joke, I wrote a blog about Obama appointing himself King.  It doesn't seem like such a joke now.

Obama and 7 Obstacles to Effective Leadership

I'm in a leadership role in my day job and because of this have read several articles on how to be an effective leader; but the most helpful one I found was on what makes you a bad leader.  I've taken the steps from an article by Duncan Brodie on "7 Obstacles to Effective Leadership" and looked at how Obama is fairing.

For my Obama supporters I will admit that Bush wouldn't have faired all that well in this comparison either.

Obstacle 1: Old mindsets
This might not be the thing that you would automatically expect to see at the top of the list. Truth is that when we become a leader it is easy to forget that there are different expectations and challenges. If as a new leader you are still in the manager mindset you are going to struggle. Even if you are not a new leader old mindsets and complacency can be an obstacle.

For Obama this can go either way.  People can claim that he's brought new ideas, but I disagree.  What Obama brought with him is the Saul Alinski playbook and his Community Organization processes.  He has brought his old mindset into this leadership job and he's unwilling to let it go.  He will run his play book the way he has it written and he's not going to change even if the plays are causing him to lose the game.

Obstacle 2: Personal rather than corporate agenda
Ever noticed how someone's leadership career evolves. At the start they are a breath of fresh air, full of new ideas and enthusiasm, after a while, especially if the going gets tough, they start to focus on their own survival rather than on delivering success. Be alert to becoming too focussed on your personal agenda.

Hello!  Forcing his plans for climate change legislation and universal health in an economy that is already struggling.  In this case the coroporate agenda should be job creation, but his personal agenda - which will stymie job growth -- is taking center stage.  He needs to put his personal agenda aside and work on what's best for the nation as a whole.  Which means expanding job creation beyond infrastructure and green jobs.

Obstacle 3: Vagueness about direction
As the leader people will look to you to provide clear direction. After all unless you have a clear direction in which you want to take the organisation or team forward in, how are you going to communicate it and get the support you need.

Gee, I really don't know about this one.  He's communicated his specific plan on all of the issues so clearly hasn't he?

Obstacle 4: Micromanaging everything
One of the areas that differentiates the best from the poorer leaders is their ability to let go of things. When a leader spends all of their time micromanaging everything they get lost in the detail of the day to day stuff and lose sight of the bigger picture.

Hmm, a weekend visit to the Senate to push his agenda springs to mind.

Obstacle 5: Failure to act
We have all probably encountered this situation at some point in our career. The organisation is facing some struggles, needs to make some decisions and most importantly act on them. Yes it takes courage but failure to act is a recipe for disaster in the long term.

Dithering about Afghanistan for 3 months, finally addressing jobs after 10 months.  Of course you could say he acted quickly with the stimulus, but you could also say he didn't considering that the vast majority of the money hasn't been spent yet. 

Obstacle 6: Having to be right
Of course it is great to be the person who comes up with the ideas, turnaround or transformation plan or initiative. On the other hand when this becomes essential to you as the leader you stop listening, taking ideas on board and potentially miss out on real opportunities.

I'm going to let an evil witch cackle serve as my response to this one.

Obstacle 7: Failing to adapt
Every situation requires a different response. Failing to adapt leads to a situation where you become stuck. In the worst case scenarios this failure to adapt can result in a whole organisation collapsing. Always be ready to adapt to new and changing circumstances.

The public support for health care is dropping in the face of the unemployment rate and the way the bill is shaping up, but instead of adapting to this change he is willing to lose Congressional seats in order to acheive his personal goal (see obstacle 2).

Bottom Line - Obstacles are an inevitable part of leading. The question is are you going to successfully deal with them and deliver great results?

So how do you think Barack Obama is doing in dealing with these obstacles.  I'd love your opinion.