by Author Name Withheld 145

Created on: August 01, 2008   Last Updated: April 15, 2010

In accordance with my current occupation, I am drowning in political news. My days are spent traveling through the jungle that is the Internet reading the happenings of the world. The majority of stories I read tie back into the major issues of the economy, the war, the environment, healthcare that will directly effect how people vote in November. So with much of today's news focusing on the upcoming presidential election, much of my thinking has been on the same topic. And this is what I've discovered:

Senator Barack Obama is the exact opposite of President George W. Bush.

Earth shattering, I know. The differences are obvious: party, race, age, background, experience. The list could go on. In nearly every aspect, one differs greatly from the other. But it's the one similarity between the current President and the Illinois Senator that could lead to 8 years of deja vu for Americans.

In what now seems like a drug-induced hallucination, there was actually a time when people trusted President Bush to make decisions. It was the weeks and months immediately after 9/11. Americans were united.

We all turned to our newly elected Commander in Chief, ready to follow wherever he led. President Bush could ask for anything especially if it was in the name of fighting terrorism and it would be given to him on a silver platter.

And it was.

A war in Iraq with "fight them over there instead of fighting them over here" as its mantra was approved. Over the next 7 years, most of those who weren't opposed to the war in the first place have since changed their minds. But in 2001, at the dawn of his presidency, Bush had struck the jackpot. Because of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Bush had the nearly unanimous support of the American people.

But as many politicians do, he took advantage of the opportunity for his own personal gain. Instead of doing what was best for America, he did what was best for him. (Although, if you ask me, Dick Cheney was the evil villain mastermind behind it all and Bush was the loveable mostly-naive sidekick).

Now, fast-forward 7 years. When it comes to the support of the American people, Barack Obama is not much different than the 2001 President Bush. Granted, the reasons behind their followings are very different. One was a result of a terrible national tragedy and the other is a result of his amazing eloquence and ability to inspire but if Obama makes it to the White House, we may find ourselves in the same circumstance we did two terms

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