Mea Culpa - I was referring to the "as president".  Not as president elect.

Thank you for proving the point.

So why wait for Obama to screw up?  Avoid the rush and start the harping now.

You mean like the Dems  did when the country united after 9/11 ?

You must REALLY love Obama now then.  Cause Barack trumps Bush in every category you list. 

It's nice to see a lot of conservatives flipping over today, from Fox News on the Palin vetting stories yesterday, to Elizabeth Hasselbeck on The View today, everyone is making it clear they were just doing the job they were paid for.  Like Peggy Noonan made clear a few weeks ago, the spin was their jobs, paid to support even an ignoramous like Palin.  Now that the election is over, they're all joining the new wave of reconcilliation. I hope the rest of the disaffected conservatives will close rank as well.

I'm very excited to see this happening and I hope we can all get down to work. 

Ironic (to me, anyway) that Barack's first move was to appoint the Dem equivalent of Bob Haldeman as his COS.  Everybody buckle up.  It's gonna get interesting.

Idaho same                                     

Every Chief of Staff needs to be a bulldog.  I think you'll find his cabinet appointments very interesting indeed. 

But to equate Rahm with one of the key criminal figures in Watergate is ludicrous hyperbole.  There's nothing in common with these two men except that they are, well, both human males.

I'm sure you have no qualms about bulldogs, as long as they're your bulldogs.

Yet another irony - you accusing someone of hyperbole.

But, I'll make it more specific for you - 'the Dem equivalent of Bob Haldeman before he effed up' - that better?  You claim to have been around since WW2 or so, so it can't be because you don't know what his rep was.

Frogboy: I admire and respect you as CEO of Stardock, for what you have made of it; however, I do have a problem with your political views... or should I say, your interpretation of mine....

Again, what I've said has been misinterpreted!  My entire point is about the entire US Nation putting party politics aside and getting on with rebuilding the country... the broken economy.  Sure there are people who are unhappy about Obama being elected, but it's a fact and they need to get past that and unite with the nation and get behind the President Elect to begin that rebuilding process, regardless of Party affiliations/allegiances

You no doubt are an intelligent guy and I have no problem with your liking Bush, for whatever reason.  You are entitled to your views as I am to mine.  However, and I've made it no secret, I do not like Bush, not for the fact that he often appears vague, vacant and struggling for coherent thought, but for the litany of political cock-ups; goofs; gaffs; blunders and  downright illegal activities... the invasion of Iraq based on a pack of lies, for example.  Having said that, however, I might find that George Bush is an interesting and decent human being when engaged in 'casual' conversation... meaning, I would not tell him to fuck off if he approached to speak with me.

To further demonstrate my non-partisan point: if (Democrat) Barack Obama ordered the invasion of Iran, based on a pack of lies and without the blessing of the UN/international community, I would dislike him in the same way I dislike (Republican)  George Bush, because I am non-violent and a pacifist.... and while it is one thing to defend YOUR country... it's another entirely to attack/invade another.

And with good reason, as stated above.

OK, let's see if we can differentiate between whining at those who distrust Obama (in some cases, very sore losers), and suggesting that the election is over, the time for Party politics is over, and the entire nation needs to support its President Elect if it is to get out of the shit, because divisiveness just won't cut it as any kind of solution to anything.  If John McCain had won instead, the same principle would apply... he would need the nation's support to be truly effective.

Do I think Barack Obama will make a good President? Yes!  I believe he has the ability, strength of character and spine to do the job... not because he is a Democrat, but by virtue of what I have observed in the man.  Will he be the perfect President? Most likely not!  He is human, and to be human is to err.  However, I will not put the cart before the horse and pre-judge Obama's ability/potential to make mistakes as President.  He hasn't assumed office as yet to make any mistakes, thus it is premature to criticise, judge or condemn the man....

Which brings me back to my original point: the election is over, you have a new President and Vice President, so make the best of it, forget the Party politics, and support putting the country back on track under the new regime.

In other words, swallow or spit out the sour grapes and get back to working as a united nation, not a Party divided one

That sentiment would have come in handy in 2000 & 2004.  Not saying we shouldn't do it, in fact I'm all for giving him a chance to see what he'll propose & how he'll behave.  However, we should not abandon opposition where fundamental differences in principle warrant loyal opposition.

No, because it just doesn't matter. 

Haldeman is remembered for the CRIMES HE COMMITTED DURING WATERGATE.  Who gives a rat's ass about his personality when he was appointed?  A lot of people liked Nixon when he was elected.  He just turned out to be a rotten apple.

But let's get to the real heart of the matter here.  Are you honestly so desperate for even the whiff of red meat that you're going to bag on the man because he REMINDS you of someone else?  REMINDS you...

I hope that someone REMINDING you of someone else, pro or con, is not the criteria you have used in the past to make your vote for high public office.

True, the stolen election in 2000 weighed heavy on people throughout Bush's term.   But he's soon to be gone now, and there is no doubt about this election's result, thank goodness.

You don't worry that within the next couple of weeks, Pakistan will escalate their annoyance with our questionably legal bombings taking place in their country and have to SHOW us they mean business, and Bush will enact a state of emergency and marshall law, thereby not giving up his reign of the country?

(I know, I know...I watched too many horror shows in the 70s and now I'm conditioned to think the monster can't be killed...he always comes back!  At the very least, I'm conditioned to never let my guard down after the struggle is over).

I'll grant that, if memory serves me well, Haldeman was not a known quantity in the way Emanuel is - he had not served in a previous administration & had not been a Congressman.  But he quickly garnered a reputation for ruthlessness and was almost uniformly despised by the media, the Democrats & many Republicans.  Long before Watergate.

The reason it seems ironic to me (since it doesn't seem to be registering) is that there is such a disconnect between Obama's rhetoric of unity & his choice of Emanuel, who is acknowledged even by Democrats to be the most partisan guy in DC, to be a real SOB.  The last 'real SOB' COS I can remember being widely characterized that way was Haldeman.

I'm from the 'pay attention to what they do, not what they say' school.  BO promised transformative change, if you recall.  His choice of Emanuel is pure old school politics, drawn from Clinton's White House no less.  Perhaps Emanuel has bought into the unity program & I'm not going to pass judgment until we see how he handles the job.  I hope the irony turns out to be misplaced, but I'm not betting the farm.