Back in February I wrote a piece titled "Insane" in which I pointed out what I believed then to be a critical flaw in President Obama's cabinet selections that represented a serious obstacle to achieving the "change" he promised. I write now to confirm unequivocally that President Obama's moves were in fact insane and they have effectively removed all substantive reform from the key policy initiatives of his young administration.

On foreign policy Obama has expoused rhetoric that won him a Nobel Peace Prize and established a new spoken platform for US foreign relations. But in substance this president escalated the war in Afghanistan -- which some consider to be an immoral" war, maintained the core tenants of the vague and questionable "War On Terror", and even extended US military aid to Israel for 10 years into the future -- an unprecedented event. Obama has functionally endorsed Israeli settlement expansion, removed references to expansion from administration talking points, and even repealed a small penalty for these controversial expansions that Bush 1 enacted (read the Noam Chomsky interview or watch this video).

On the economy the administration, working closely with Wall Street, has used taxpayer money to not only cover the losses from, but also to fund new investments in similarly risky and unregulated securities practices, while effectively removing or rendering ineffective all oversight and regulatory reform proposals that would have any hopes of curtailing the reckless and excessive greed that led to the financial collapse. Matt Taibbi, in Rolling Stone magazine, argues that President Obama's economic team is packed with Wall Street insiders intent on turning the bailout into an all-out taxpayer funded giveaway (see the video).

And on health care, after a loud vocal push for reform, the administration and Obama himself have approved a plan that substantively accomplishes two important things for insurers and health care providers: 1) it forces millions of uninsured Americans to buy their coverage -- effectively using our government and rule of law to create new customers for private businesses; and 2) it does this without a public run competitor or strong oversight authority to ensure quality coverage and affordable rates. The Urban Institute report states

The report further proposes

The Senate has proposed an opt-out provision that would allow States to not offer the public option plan. But the Urban Institute report points out that the opt-out clause

This would effectively limit coverage only to those who can afford to pay for it. So much for the poor, recently down-sized, homeless, or otherwise economically defficient. We've tried compassionate concervatism. What is this? Compassionate bi-partisanship-ism? Whatever!

The other proposal under consideration by lawmakers is for a "trigger" clause that would give the private insurance industry a chance to prove it can control costs with a new set of insurance rules and state exchanges. Excessive costs can be measured by the level of premiums that exceed a certain percentage of household income, or growth in health care spending exceeding certain benchmarks. However measured, based on the history of the health insurance market, many experts are sure a strong version of a public option would be triggered. The atrocity here is that we are okay with some not having healthcare (as long as it's not you -- I know). Taking a strong public option off the table means, at a minimum, higher government subsidy costs for not having a player (a public plan) with enough market power to create cost containment pressure on the system. The current proposals means we are going to rely on a range of pilot approaches to cutting costs that will take considerable time to prove successful. And if they are not successful we will then need even stronger regulatory intervention including rate setting and utilization controls that apply to all players. So we're heading for much more government involvement ultimately because we won't insist on giving Americans the choice of a low-cost public option that's required to compete with private insurers. Insurers who by the way have consolidated with taxpayer sponaored anti-trust exemptions, formed regional monopolies, and driven us to the point where health care reform was a consideration at all. Like the nice conservative lady said at a town debate "keep the government out of my Medicare."

What is impressive is that all the hope for change that made this Presidents campaign so exciting and promising for a majority of voters has been so completely vanquished in just his first year in office. President Obama, by all accounts to date, is at one extreme a true status quo proponent who used an exceptional gift of gab to win over the hearts of Americans with no intention of fulfilling any of his promises, or he is a spirited well-meaning man who has run up against the corruptive force of our nations elite and been compromised. The reality, as it always is in real life, lies somewhere in between these extremes.

So if you're against "ObamaCare" do not fret. Thank the insurance industry and their senators and congressman for finding a way to keep things as they are, and growing their customer base by forcing the rest of us who could not afford their coverage to buy what will surely be plans that collect billions in premiums while providing as little coverage as possible. And if you think Obama is a socialist, stop. He is in fact a pure capitalist. And he is helping to further the free market agenda in new ways, including new hi-tech investment in Israel where Intel will be making its next-generation chips.

I will ask all you self-proclaimed conservatives to resist crying and whining about the fact you find it increasingly harder to afford your standard of living. I suggest you consider moving to Israel, China or one of the places where American goods are now made thanks to your support for free trade. And please don't cry as you realize that that passionate vote against anything with "reform" attached to it did not mean what you thought it meant. And don't whine when you realize that while there was truth in the benefits of the free market rhetoric you so emotionally supported, they just were not benefits meant for you.

If you are among the nations wealthiest 10% -- I say to you (and with you I'm sure) God bless America, for things are really humming along for you. For the rest of us I say "God bless us all!" The facts are what they are. You don't believe what you're reading here fine. Do your own homework. But don't support a position just because you like the messenger. The thing that's really clear is that we the people are gonna have to stand up for what we want. And that means we first must stop believing anything we don't vet for ourselves, and we have to work together to promote our common interests and not be so easily separated by our fears.