Stop the Obama worship

The bad judgments by President Obama and his team in the first two weeks of his presidency are a given. Even President Obama admits that. To his credit, I might add.

But the adoring behavior continues.

After Geithner, after Daschle and now on to Panetta, Obama is treated as if he were a third party to these events. Even normally no-nonsense reporters ask inane questions like: "Is turning around the ethical behavior in Washington, D.C., harder than you thought?"

Say what? Sooner or later (and you can take this to the bank) reporters will start covering the news with their heads, not their hearts.

And when they do, they will clearly see Obama as a president, not a savior. He may, indeed, be a great president. And given the challenges this country faces, I hope he is. But any objective look at his initial performance should lead all to conclude that the Obama promises of "no lobbyists" and creating the "most ethical" administration in history were flawed speeches, like so many empty promises made on the campaign trail. Obama was forged in the patronage politics of Chicago and has so far created an administration that seeks to co-opt political enemies and reward political friends.

Look, folks. If you think Sen. Tom Daschle was the best guy on the planet to run Heath and Human Services, you need to put the Kool Aid down and seek help. Daschle was a classic example of a revolving-door politician. He traded his office for big money from lobbyists and pressure groups. He traded his old Pontiac for a limo and a driver. And, he shaved his taxes. Obama knew who Daschle was when he appointed him. Dashcle's major attribute for a position in the Obama Administration was simply that during the primary he threw his support to Obama instead of Clinton. Ding, ding, ding. Give the man a position in the administration.

Don't pretend something else happened. And, more importantly, don't pretend that Obama, somehow, was not involved.