Looking Back at Obama's First Month as President

Well, it certainly has been a month. I never expected to be posting this much on politics at this point, but it seems every time I turn around I find something else that I feel the need to post about. So much has happened in this month.

My father, who is also conservative, confided in me after Obama was elected that he was not too worried. Obama would never do all the liberal and socialistic things he talked about during the campaign. Pragmatism always kicks in. Ooops. Guess not. I never really believed that Obama would back off. My father used Clinton as an example... but I have always believed that Clinton was a pragmatist and ultimately out for Clinton. Obama is more dogmatic and more liberal. We are seeing the results already.

Let's review some of what has happened...
-Obama reversed the ban on funding foreign abortions
-Obama made his first outreach to a foreign leader to Palestine and his first tv interview with Arab tv. (Before even to any station in the US)
-Obama spread considerable doom and gloom... none of the optimism that he promised ... no HOPE... lots of change though.
-Obama chose for his administration lobbyists (after promising no lobbyists) and people with massive ethical and tax issues (after promising the most ethical administration ever)
-Obama follows through with the first step in his medical plan, expanding federal coverage for children
-Obama passed second part of national health care hidden in the stimulus bill, rationing care and setting up government records and oversight
-Obama passed with help from the democratic Congress the largest spending bill in the history of the world... and he did it without a single person reading the bill. He demanded it be done quickly because it was so urgent, but he left for a 3 weekend vacation before signing it. (Even though the push to rush the vote meant Democrats went against their promise to have a bill published for 48 hours before voting to allow the public to read it.)
-Obama reveals mortgage bailout plan and potential MORE stimulus, saying this will require more than the New Deal
-Rolls back welfare reform
-Stock market, in his first 30 days, drops nearly 10% since the inauguration.
-Obama continues campaigning throughout his first month, spending a surprising amount of time away from the White House
-Obama finds bi-partisanship a hollow promise... you can claim to reach across the aisle but if your demands remain inflexible, it is useless
-Obama has repeatedly and openly criticized anyone who speaks against him... most notably against the press

On that last point, I think he may be surprised that it backfires. He spoke out criticizing Rush and Rush's ratings soared. The White House criticized CNBC's correspondent and CNBC's ratings and internet hits soared. And the blogosphere is full of people like me who are watching him and less than pleased.

One final note.. for all my criticism.. he is my president and I am praying fervently that God changes his heart and that Obama sees what must be done to preserve our nation.. and that through it all, God's Will be done.