I've turned over a new leaf, honestly I have

Back in December of '09, I wrote about Karla Faye Tucker, who became a cause celebre on Death Row after she found God:

http://justnotsaid.blogspot.com/2009/12/cause-celebres.html

I never bought her conversion. Nor do I buy the false repentance of other criminals who want parole boards to think they've become a different people since their crimes. If someone has a strong motive to claim he's changed, that is all the less reason to believe his "conversion."

People don't suddenly grow consciences, their IQ's don't miraculously expand, and their facial features don't suddenly change (without surgery). And when you hear someone say he's turned over a new leaf, the best policy is to keep your hand on your wallet.

Likewise, people don't suddenly change their political outlooks between the ages of 47 and 49. They may have reason to pretend to -- like wanting reelection -- but they don't really change.

Bear this in mind as you listen to the the new jobs-loving, regulation-hating, deficit-reducing, bipartisan Obama address Congress tonight.

Actions speak louder than State of the Union speeches. If someone pushes a stimulus bill which is nothing but earmarks, then says he wants no more earmarks, that reeks of hypocrisy -- especially if he said he would not abide any earmarks when he first campaigned for office. If a politician says he wants to "invest in jobs," that's just another way of saying he wants more government spending. And if a President has pushed federal spending to record levels, then says he wants to freeze most of those expenditures at those levels, that simply means he wants he wants to preserve his expansion.

I believe Obama would give up basketball, smoking, and golf before I'd believe he would give up redistribution of wealth as his guiding principle.

Addendum, next morning: Listening to Obama talk about reducing the deficit last night reminded me of nothing so much as a fat girl who has a second and then third slice of chocolate cake, but washes it all down with a Diet Coke because she is on a "diet."