Am I A "Hater"?

Upon hearing that Obama had picked up his phone and had contacted a number of leading Republican congressional leaders regarding the immigration bill being worked on in the Congress, I said to my better half, "Why that stupid, son-of-a-bitch."

"There you go again," she replied, "You're a hater.  You just hate Obama."

Was I a hater?  Perhaps my words were ill chosen.  Perhaps, I should have said, "Why that devious Machiavellian politician."  But, "stupid, son-of-a-bitch" slides more easily over the lips.

"But, dear, you're always saying Obama never reaches out to the Republicans.  Isn't this what you're always saying he should be doing?" asked my better half.

"Look, if he had phoned the leading congressional Republicans to discuss the budget, I would be applauding him.  It's what he should have done a long time ago.  But better late than never.

"But, that's not what he did.  Calling about the immigration bill is something very different.   Immigration is world's apart from a budget bill, " I tried to explain.  "In the case of immigration, we have a congressional panel of Democrats and Republicans hard at work crafting a bill which will address the problem of illegal immigrants.  For Obama to stick his two cents into that issue can only muddy up the waters.  Indeed, at worst, it might derail the entire process.

"But, he doesn't care.  He's all about himself.  Screw the illegals.  Screw the Republicans.  Will this move polish the image of Obama?  That's what it's all about," I explained.

"You just don't like the man.  You're a hater," replied my better half.

"Let me try to explain, dear.  Just yesterday, driving south on Jog, I came to the corner where it crosses Atlantic.  There are five lanes.  Two left-lanes had been created for cars wanting to turn left.  However, the cars in those lanes had to wait for a green arrow.  The three lanes, to the right, were for cars going straight.

"The light turns green for the cars going straight.  The cars turning left had to wait until their red arrows turned green.  But what happens!  Of the three lanes that should be moving forward, only the two furthest on the right move.  Our lane, the one closest to the turning lanes, does not.

"It seems that a car in our lane has decided that he too wants to make a left turn.  He cares not at all that the lane he's in should be moving forward.  He's decided he's going to wait until the green arrow intended for the turn lanes turn green.  And, so there we sit, unable to proceed until this car gets to make his illegal turn at such time as the left-turn arrows change to green.

"What this car should have done, of course, is to accept his being in the wrong lane, continue straight ahead, and then make a U-turn further down the road so as to get back to Atlantic and turn his car east," I explained.

"Did I hate this other driver, who, at the time, I referred to as a stupid, idiot?  No, I have no idea who he was.  What I found disagreeable was his behavior.  It's the same with Obama.  I don't hate him.  I don't know him.  But, his behavior is reprehensible."