http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/po ... .html?_r=1I think that article is a fair reflection of his Illinois voting record, and it's not like he was abusing the 'present' vote there. However, when he came to the US Senate, if the
source I'm using is right and I can count (and my counting is a lot less reliable than internet sources), in the Senate he voted:
Present/Not Voting: 162 times--42.63%
Yes: 162 times--42.63%
No: 56 times--14.74%
Being "present" isn't leading. The budget he dropped the other day was basically just another "present" vote.
Unlike some people, I don't want the President to "fail." If he fucks up, it hoses all of us (see Hindsight: 2000-2008). He is arguably in the worst spot of any US President since Reagan. It is an opportunity for greatness, but I don't see him grasping his moment. He could easily propose the sort of cuts in our budget that really need to be made, even if some of those cuts were so minor as to be symbolic, pick up republican support, claim bi-partisanship, and come out looking like a champ. He's not doing that. He's even got republicans on the hill in a spot where they're discussing cuts to their babies, like the military and intelligence. The world is his fucking oyster, what is he doing?
Your Pal,
Jubber