Barack Obama’s supporters learned a sad lesson in politics today as the candidate has now officially confirmed that his campaign platform is nothing more than rhetoric. The candidate of ‘change’ was expected to bring a new form of politics to Washington D.C., and liberal voters ate it up with a spoon. With the exception of his promise for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq, no other issue propelled Obama’s campaign more than his stance on the FISA bill which passed the Senate today, with Obama’s support. Back in December while running against Hillary Clinton in the primary, Obama’s office released a statement which said in part:

“Senator Obama unequivocally opposes giving retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies… granting such immunity undermines the constitutional protections Americans trust the Congress to protect. Senator Obama supports a filibuster of this bill, and strongly urges others to do the same.”

Obama’s choice of wording (or at least his campaigns choice) is highly suspect as his position was considered to be ‘unequivocal’, which would mean “not subject to conditions or exceptions”. For Obama however, there are always exceptions to his political positioning, the exception in this case being the opportunity to hold the office of the Presidency. His strongest supporters have already begun treating this as a slap in the face, calling his vote a ‘betrayal’.

On June 25 when Obama first admitted he intended to support the FISA bill, despite the immunity provision he once so strongly opposed, a group was formed on MyBarackObama.com called “Senator Obama—Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity—Get FISA Right”. It is now the largest group on MyBarackObama with over 22,000 very disgruntled members. The Chicago Tribune is reporting today that many of these members may no longer support Obama, with some even threatening to ask for their campaign contributions back:

The online group is flooded with messages of disappointment and disillusionment. Some threaten to ask that their campaign contributions be returned, while others suggest they will simply stay home this fall.

One man even said he had removed his Obama bumper sticker from his car. “It’s the first and only bumper sticker that I’ve ever put on a vehicle that I owned, so my disappointment felt personal and significant,” he wrote.

“This just seems like a tremendous betrayal,” said Tom Vincent, a Web designer from upstate New York. “It’s a deal-breaker for me.”

Seeking to calm the online crowd, Obama has already written extensively about his changed position on his campaign Web site.

“I understand why some of you feel differently about the current bill, and I’m happy to take my lumps on this site and elsewhere,” he wrote. “I do promise to listen to your concerns, take them seriously, and seek to earn your ongoing support to change the country.”

The problem with Obama’s response to the outrage which followed his vote, is that he had initially ‘earned’ the support of these same members by stating that he unequivocally opposed this bill. Trying to earn their support going forward will prove as difficult as convincing your wife you can be trusted again after she catches you having an affair.

Speaking of adulterous marriages, this latest flip flop from Obama may actually prove to be beneficial to Hillary Clinton, who voted against the bill. It would serve Obama well to remember that this is only the second week in July, and although he is the “presumptive” nominee, nothing is written in stone as of yet. If between now and August 28 Obama’s poll numbers drop significantly enough as to give the Democratic party leaders reason to believe he will not win the general election, the superdelegates may very well hand the nomination to Hillary Clinton.

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Barack Obama, Congress, Features, Hillary Clinton, Politics