by Brenda Baird

Created on: September 17, 2009   Last Updated: September 19, 2009

To begin, a caveat. Nobody in the United States of America should assume that the information that reaches his or her ears should be taken at face value. It's a cynical way to look at things, granted, but from the golden shores of Fox News to the middle of the Daily Kos, the message is biased because the messenger is human.

Our country is at a crossroads right now, and the man sitting at the center of the intersection is by one account or another a Socialist, a secret citizen of Kenya, a Messiah, the smartest man in the universe, the stupidest man in the universe, a Muslim, a Christian, a terrorist, a father, a husband ... a human.

The only commonality we share as a country right now is that we all, individually, think Obama is something. But one thing we know for sure is, if another guy thinks he's something other than the something we think he is, that person is wrong. And sometimes, to top if off, a wingnut wacko who hates our country.

Are conservatives too critical of Obama? When they call him a terrorist, anti-Christ, pretender to the throne ... a resounding 'yes'. But by blindly accepting every pro-Obama, anti-conservative rhetoric that comes down the other side of the turnpike, many liberals are every bit as guilty of taking biased words as objective truth.

The man is the leader of the free world. His actions should be transparent, and we should question him when they aren't. He has taken an oath, accepted a responsibility to guide this country in a time when we most need a leader we can trust. And by all appearances, he carries that mantle boldly, talking the talk with powerful, soothing words. But as American citizens, we also have a responsibility. We must look beyond the talk, and make sure that our politicians are also walking the walk.

Our founding fathers defined this government as "of the people, by the people, for the people." That premise, perhaps above all others put forth in those revolutionary times, has guided us through the massive changes brought about by revolutions, wars, natural disasters and other threats to our homeland. And that premise is under attack today, by powerful interest groups and greedy tycoons desperate to keep the status quo that has put them where they are.

Barack Obama has the potential to be the next Lincoln, Roosevelt or Jefferson. But in order for that to happen, Americans must accept the responsibility to look beyond the easy-to-swallow soundbytes to the substance of the issues we collectively face. We must stop the name-calling and hyperbolizing hysterics and engage in rational conversations.

Obama should have critics. Every politician should. But we cannot allow the loudest critics to be a bunch of pompous talking heads throwing partisan pot shots, like cheap, empty carbohydrates for easy digestion and regurgitation by a lazy populace.

If this country is to meet its potential once more, it will take effort on the part of its citizens to lay off the surface insults and start offering some genuine feedback.

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