More Pragmatist than "Progressive"?

Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally at Friendly House gynmasium in Davenport, Iowa, January 2, 2008.
REUTERS/Jim Young

A number of conservatives are rightly skeptical that Senator President Elect Obama has it in him to govern from the center(-left). Nothing in his actual history indicates he's ever gravitated toward adopting centrist/conservative beliefs or moved away from an attraction to radical, leftist ideologies; nor is there a history of ever actually reaching across the aisle and achieving real bipartisanship, other than offering lip service about it and the illusion of centrism and unity.

It just might well be, though, that he is pragmatic enough and smart enough about his legacy, that he will vitiate his natural inclination of leftist ideology and actually govern closer to the center than to the far left of it.

In any event, it's nice from our perspective to at least watch his "progressive" moveon.org base jaw-drop as he breaks campaign promises and...*gasp*...turns out to be "just another politician":

Liberals are growing increasingly nervous – and some just flat-out angry – that President-elect Barack Obama seems to be stiffing them on Cabinet jobs and policy choices.

Obama has reversed pledges to immediately repeal tax cuts for the wealthy and take on Big Oil. He’s hedged his call for a quick drawdown in Iraq. And he’s stocking his White House with anything but stalwarts of the left.

Now some are shedding a reluctance to puncture the liberal euphoria at being rid of President George W. Bush to say, in effect, that the new boss looks like the old boss.

“He has confirmed what our suspicions were by surrounding himself with a centrist to right cabinet. But we do hope that before it’s all over we can get at least one authentic progressive appointment,” said Tim Carpenter, national director of the Progressive Democrats of America.

OpenLeft blogger Chris Bowers went so far as to issue this plaintive plea: “Isn’t there ever a point when we can get an actual Democratic administration?”

Even supporters make clear they’re on the lookout for backsliding. “There’s a concern that he keep his basic promises and people are going to watch him,” said Roger Hickey, a co-founder of Campaign for America’s Future.

Obama insists he hasn’t abandoned the goals that made him feel to some like a liberal savior. But the left’s bill of particulars against Obama is long, and growing.

*snicker*

Maybe Obama is smart enough not to want to govern Carter's 2nd term.

Can't wait to see the realities of high office kick him swift in the pants once he's actually in, rather than trying to armchair quarterback from the bleachers (2003-2008) or govern on Bush's watch (post-Nov. Election and pre-Jan 20th, 2009 inaugural). Actually, that was a partisan snipe: I actually think for the sake of a smooth transition, for the sake of the country, it's good that Obama's getting his feet into the waters before Bush leaves office and is no longer there to hold his hand. I mean, c'mon....last I understood it, we're only supposed to have one president at a time.