http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/o...0/boggsed.html

Obama's frequent regrets may make us sorry

By Luke Boggs
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/10/08
Barack Obama just may be the most regretful figure in American politics, no
small feat for a freshman senator.

On Wednesday, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said he
regretted allowing his young daughters to participate in a family TV
interview with "Access Hollywood."

It was an abrupt shift from decision to regret, even for Obama. The family
sat down for the interview on July 4, and the first segment ran on July 8.
By the next morning, Obama was saying he regretted including his daughters,
even before the other two parts of the interview could air.

I'm not sure why. The interview was nothing but happy public relations,
revealing that the Obamas enjoy riding bikes together and that the senator
isn't a big dessert fan. (Pies are an exception.)

I suppose there may be a handful of humorless activists out there somewhere
carping that Obama was "exploiting" his kids for political gain, but that
would be an absurd complaint.

The guy is running for president of the United States, for heaven's sake.
Family members have been a constant in American politics for a long time.
And Obama having his daughters at his side in a puffy little holiday
interview should have been no big deal to anyone.

So what jumped out at me was how quickly Obama regretted his decision. And
that, in turn, made me wonder how often the senator has regretted other
choices. Answer: pretty often. (Googling "Obama" and "regrets" yields more
than a million hits.)

In November 2006, Obama said he regretted buying property adjacent to his
Chicago home from Tony Rezko, a longtime supporter and big-time fund-raiser
who has since been convicted of mail and wire fraud, aiding and abetting
bribery and money laundering.

In February 2007, as his presidential campaign was beginning, Obama said he
regretted saying that the lives of American soldiers who died fighting in
Iraq had been "wasted."

In April 2008, Obama said he regretted his choice of words when he told some
well-heeled donors in San Francisco that "bitter" folks in Middle America
who have lost economic hope "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to
people who aren't like them."

To be sure, these are choices worth regretting. Anyone can understand why
Obama would regret his land deal with a convicted felon. And even liberal
Democrats like Obama have been careful not to say American lives have been
"wasted" in Iraq, even as they imply the same thing when they dismiss the
war effort as corrupt, inept, unnecessary and worse.

Obama's most costly regret, however, may well prove to be his condescending
shot at those decent, hardworking Americans he said were desperately
clinging to God and guns and bigotry. It was a regret-worthy statement that
said volumes about Obama's easy contempt for those in what elites call
"flyover country."

Perhaps the American people are looking for a regretful guy this time
around. After eight years of George W. Bush, whose dogged lack of regrets
continues to exasperate his critics, perhaps this sort of intense
self-scrutiny and navel-gazing will translate into electoral victory.

But I'm not so sure. After all, a lot of Americans understand that you don't
get a bunch of easy do-overs in the Oval Office. You have to make tough
calls, even when they may be politically costly.

I can't help wondering what Obama might regret in four years as president.
What might he regret doing -- or not doing -- on the world stage? What might
he regret saying -- or not saying -- to Putin or Kim Jong-il or Ahmadinejad?

Only time will tell. Depending on what happens in November, we may begin to
find out next January. When we do, some voters may well have regrets of
their own.