A truly painful process

It's almost poignant, this Kubler-Ross style struggle that so many people are living with, as they try to cope with the reality that the Leader of the Free World isn't really the Lightbringer. Ron Fournier, writing for National Journal, encapsulates the dilemma nicely:

On history's scale of deception, this one leaves a light footprint. Worse lies have been told by worse presidents, leading to more severe consequences, and you could argue that withholding a caveat is more a sin of omission. But this president is toying with a fragile commodity: his credibility. Once Americans stop believing in Obama, they will stop listening to him. They won't trust government to manage health care. And they will wonder what happened to the reform-minded leader who promised never to lie to them.

In case you're wondering what "withholding a caveat" means, he's referring to the dozens of times Obama said this:

Categorical statements, made repeatedly, that are not true are not "withholding a caveat," of course. They are lies. There was never an intention of letting people keep their existing health care plans. While Fournier is at least willing to call a lie by its name, it's obvious that he'd prefer not to.