California Here He Comes!

I see where President Obama has purchased a luxurious estate in exclusive Rancho Mirage, California. My congratulations and I wish him good luck. I hope the rumor is true. This will allow him to stay close to his buds in the entertainment industry. I am sure he will have a luxurious office with a TV camera, microphone, a satellite uplink and his beloved teleprompter so he can, instantaneously, be interviewed on CNN or take part in the Sunday morning talk shows. That, a golf course, (there are an abundance of country clubs there), and a basketball court and he should be in Obama heaven. I understand the new Obama home has it's own waterfall and lagoon. Beautiful.

I must wonder about Michelle though. If she found the White House stifling, "like a prison", I believe were the words she used, she may have a problem. Rancho Mirage is about a light year away from anything. It is on a strip of desert between two mountain ranges just above the Salton Sea. Palm Springs is the closest semi-civilized area. And while I am sure she will still have staff, it will pale in comparison to the White House. Just makes one ask if she is making other plans.

But beyond all that, I am happy for America for three reasons. Owning this property means that he is actually planning to leave the White House at the appropriate time. First of all, I feared he would try to remain as President beyond his two terms. There are two ways he could accomplish that. The one that I feared most was that he would find a crisis, either natural or created, and declare martial law. He has his domestic standing army. He could bring in the regular army since it's leadership today is more subservient than in the past. And he has, in hand, all the authorizations to take over the country under emergency conditions. The second way was for him to get legislation passed to allow for a third term. I never really believed he could get that done.

The second action that I feared, was that he would work to get the nomination for Michelle, hoping that he would be able to hang around as First Husband. That could have gotten really ugly for all concerned. As I said, I'm not sure what Michelle's plans will be, but at least they don't seem to include Barack in the White House.

Finally, this means that he will be getting out of Washington. He won't be running around the city screwing up an already bad traffic situation and sticking his nose into things that no longer concern him. 

I can't help but think, however, no matter where he is, he will be constantly criticizing his successor and constantly trying to let the American people know how he would do things and how his way would be so much better. I have one suggestion for Mr. Obama, that I am sure he will ignore. Take a page from George Bush's notebook. Go quietly away. Do not criticize your successor. It is not your royal obligation to do so. You will appear much classier this way.