Where does Alex Castellanos get off?

In a recent article published on CNN's website columnist Alex Castellanos offers up his feelings about Barack Obama; suggesting he will be a 'one term President'. For the sake of the planet I hope he's wrong. His article is thick with sarcasm, rhetoric, and finger pointing, yet offers no solutions, compromises, or suggestions, other than his closing comment about Obama needing to grow up (more on this later).

He says:

Washington was doing such a great job making things work before the meltdown that we should give it more to do, like running health care, the energy industry, banks, Wall Street and the car business.

Sounds like a little bit of sarcasm there Alex. Funny though, that when Washington was doing a "great job" it was being run by your much loved Republican Party and the "great" President George W. Bush! The Obama administration's priorities are a little different than Bush's. While he (they?) were focused on making money for themselves, their friends, and the corporations which they represented, and bringing "peace" and "democracy" to other nations, Obama (and other Dems) are more focused on resolving issues at home that effect people other than the mega rich. Issues it seems the Bush administration didn't care about (black people, if you listen to Kanye West, also fall in this category).

You knew it was coming. From the start of the article you felt it. That deep and scary chill, a fear you couldn't quite place but knew was there. THE HAMMER AND SICKLE. That's right; the reds are back, but now they're black. Obama is an "...experiment in European-style socialism" says Castellanos. SOCIALISM! COMMUNISM! MARXISM! What's next? Building a wall through the center of Washington D.C.? I certainly think so.

I'm sick of hearing this from critics of Obama, of Democrats, of the left side of the political spectrum in general. It is nothing more than fear mongering, a ploy at conjuring up images of mustachioed men and bread lines. Having a government funded medical system is nothing to be ashamed of or to fear. It is something to wear as a badge of honour. Having one of the highest infant mortality rates and lowest life expectancies for a developed nation is not.

One of the most grinding things about this article for me, and what makes me beg the question that is the title of this article, is the following quote:

Having a president who belongs to the Harvard elite and the community-organizer streets is not the same as having a president who has lived a long life among middle-class Americans and understands them.

Where does Alex Castellanos get off? When he was writing that sentence how did he not realize the overwhelming irony. This is not a valid complaint if you supported George Bush (which I'm assuming Alex did). Bush was the son of the 41st President of the United States and attended not only Harvard but Yale as well! If that is not "elite" I don't know what is.

His closing comment is another gem:

Obama is looking a little older. There would be nothing wrong with acting like it.

What does this even mean? In what ways can he "act a little older"? Obama is one of the most humble, polite, intelligent men I have ever seen or heard of. He is thoughtful and calculating and willing to compromise. If he grows up much more he would be Dr. Manhattan.

Actually that doesn't sound to bad...

Special thanks to Peter Stemmler at Quick Honey for letting me use his fantastic image of Dr. Obama in this article.