Michael Goodwin has the courage to confess a mistake — and to fear for America’s future

One of the problems with Barack Obama’s presidency is that so many people were invested in his election — and defended him so vigorously — that it’s very difficult for them, a year later, to ‘fess up that they made a mistake.  It’s one thing to admit that you erred when you really didn’t care.  But when you did care, when you thought you were paying attention and now realize that you missed important clues and conclusions, well, that’s a much harder mistake to confess.  After all, it’s a reflection on your judgment and your intelligence that you got it wrong in the first place.  That’s why I very much admire those Obama voters who have the courage to step up and say, “I was wrong.”  That’s not an easy thing to say.  And while I wish they could have figured out the truth sooner, with elections coming up in less than a year, “better late than never” is a viable mantra.

The latest person to see the error of his ways and to man up to that mistake (bless him) is Michael Goodwin.  And, having realized that he erred, he’s made a wholehearted conversion:

I am a baby boomer, which is to say my life has coincided with turbulent and awesome times. From the Cold War to Vietnam, from Watergate to Monicagate, through the horrors of 9/11 and the stunning lifestyle advances, my generation’s era has been historic and exciting.

Yet for all the drama and change, the years only occasionally instilled in me the sensation I feel almost constantly now. I am afraid for my country.

I am afraid — actually, certain — we are losing the heart and soul that made America unique in human history. Yes, we have enemies, but the greatest danger comes from within.

Watching the freak show in Copenhagen last week, I was alternately furious and filled with dread. The world has gone absolutely bonkers and lunatics are in charge.

Mugabe and Chavez are treated with respect and the United Nations is serious about wanting to regulate our industry and transfer our wealth to kleptocrats and genocidal maniacs.

Even more frightening, our own leaders joined the circus. Marching to the beat of international drummers, they uncoupled themselves from the will of the people they were elected to serve.

President Obama, for whom I voted because I believed he was the best choice available, is a profound disappointment. I now regard his campaign as a sly bait-and-switch operation, promising one thing and delivering another. Shame on me.

Equally surprising, he has become an insufferable bore. The grace notes and charm have vanished, with peevishness and petty spite his default emotions. His rhetorical gifts now serve his loathsome habit of fear-mongering.

You can, and should, read the rest (and there’s a lot of “rest”) here.

I hope that Goodwin is not the only one to realize what’s going on, and to allow himself to move forward into a future that does not include being a Democratic “yes” man.  And I also hope that others who see the light realize that they will be welcomed with open arms into the fold of those who have already marched into the sunshine of political wisdom.