He never promised us a rose garden

There are an awful lot of Obama supporters who apparently didn’t take him at his word on this issue or that and now say they are disappointed — or worse — that he’s actually keeping his promises.

Not surprisingly, this began with Obama’s choice of Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State, though there were enough observers who saw this as brilliant, even logical, on Obama’s part, so that the fuss soon dwindled away.

Then there were complaints that Obama’s cabinet picks included too many old Clinton hands, in spite of the obvious logic of choosing people who would not need on-the-job training, whose qualifications had already been tested. Want to hit the ground running? Hard to do with neophytes, wouldn’t you say?

Clearly there will be time and space in the new administration to bring in new blood, so let’s get the darn engine running before we try to hot-rod it.

There have been complaints that more women should have been included; there were suggestions that he hadn’t chosen enough Latinos; and of course some people thought that progressives were underrepresented. The rationale was often that if a particular interest group voted for him then that group should be repaid.

As if he owed them something just for voting for him.

The way I’ve always understood these things is that a candidate offers himself (or herself, ladies) together with his (or her) vision, and if the voter likes what he (or she) sees, the vote will follow. The voter owes him the vote because it’s in the voter’s interest, not the other way around.

And y’know what? The guy worked really, really hard over almost two years to get elected so that he could deliver on his vision. Think of it this way: It’s a 24/7 job requiring enormous stamina and commitment. Anyone here think you could do that?

On the contrary, those who wanted what Obama offered and helped him win now owe him, as he gets up and running, their trust that he intends to do what he said.

From the time he came on the national scene, Barack Obama has talked about bringing people together, of the uselessness of polarity, of the value of listening to different voices, of the importance of compromise.

But when he started acting that way during the transition, some supporters went into shock.

I’ve said before: Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Can't help thinking of the old Lynn Anderson recording,

I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshine, There's gotta be a little rain sometimes. When you take, you gotta give, so live and let live, Or let go.

Most recently we have the kerfuffle about Pastor Rick Warren, of Saddleback Church in Southern California, being invited by the Obama folks to deliver the invocation at Obama’s inaugural ceremony.

Previously mostly famous for his book, The Purpose Driven Life, Warren has become newly well known for his opinions as to how gay folks should live their lives. This is not to say that those opinions are anything new; the uproar is about choosing him for the event.

Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen should have thought about it a little longer before he objected to the choice, saying,

There you have the thinking of the man Obama has chosen above all other religious figures to represent him in this most solemn moment.

He missed the point. Obama chose someone who represents a significant chunk of the American people. It's not all about him, remember?

Singer Melissa Ethridge, who is gay and open about it, had a different perspective, and wrote this on the Huffington Post:

Well, I have to tell you my friends, the universe has a sense of humor and indeed works in mysterious ways. … I received a call from Pastor Rick, and before I could say anything, he told me what a fan he was. He had most of my albums from the very first one. What? This didn't sound like a gay hater, much less a preacher. … When we met later that night, he entered the room with open arms and an open heart. We agreed to build bridges to the future. … I will be attending the inauguration with my family, and with hope in my heart.

Barack Obama, the Democrat who will soon be president, said he would be president of all the people, and all the people include Rick Warren and his followers; no matter whether you agree with all of his opinions, there are many areas for agreement with the Obama folks -- not least the genocide in Darfur and the need to help the poor -- where everyone is on the same side and we can do great things together.

Imagine an audience at La Scala, or the Grand Ol’ Opry, hissing and booing before the show begins. Shame on them.

Barack Obama meant what he said, and he said what he meant: I expect him to be faithful one hundred percent.

We’re already seeing it at work.