Fired Up, Ready to Wait?

For those of you (like me) who readily admit to being a bit of a news nerd, you probably tuned into President Obama's press conference last night expecting to hear discussion about the economy, war, and something about sick pigs.

What I did not expect to hear was this from CNN's Ed Henry (yes, the same CNN that brought us this little nugget of foolishness yesterday):

"Thank you, Mr. President. In a couple of weeks, you're going to be giving the commencement at Notre Dame. And, as you know, this has caused a lot of controversy among Catholics who are opposed to your position on abortion.

As a candidate, you vowed that one of the very things you wanted to do was sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which, as you know, would eliminate federal, state and local restrictions on abortion. And at that it was above -- quote, "above my pay grade."

Now that you've been president for 100 days, obviously, your pay grade is a little higher than when you were a senator.

Do you still hope that Congress quickly sends you the Freedom of Choice Act so you can sign it?"

Stunned to hear "the a-word" I perked up in my seat eager to hear our feminist President answer in the affirmative. What I got was, well, a little wishy washy:



While I commend the President for openly identifying as pro-choice, I was annoyed that he failed to see the difference between attacks on choice in state legislatures across the country and working together to prevent unintended pregnancies. Bills, such as the ones in Kansas, Arizona, Utah, and South Carolina, do not attempt to prevent unintended pregnancies but to punish and endanger women who become pregnant.

I understand that the Freedom of Choice Act, which would eliminate such bills, may not be high on his list of legislative priorities with the many crises at hand. In fact, I applaud him for the many great advances for women in his first 100 days. But what I wanted to hear him say (and what he promised on the campaign trail) was that he understands the dangers of these threats, the importance of the Freedom of Choice Act, and hopes Congress will deliver this bill to his desk soon.

When asked what has troubled him during his first 100 days, President Obama noted the slow pace at which change comes to Washington. Often times politicians are too concerned with the next year's race and fail to work on the tasks at present. There is no switch or button, he stated, that will allow Congress to "fall in line" the way you would like.

So perhaps I am guilty of being too eager, too ambitious. But I can't help but become a little flustered when I am told to be patient for change. What happened to "fired up, ready to go"? Trust me, I am more than fired up and ready and waiting. Are you?