Is Obama Tough Enough to Make the Health-Care Decisions???

Many people have asked the question, "Is President Obama qualified for the job?" And the unequivocal answer is "yes." However, many have not asked the question, "Is President Obama tough enough for the job?" And my answer is leaning toward, "No."

President Obama has what I call a "satisfaction complex." He is determined to appease both sides of the political aisle and satisfy everyone. This is a lofty and consequential feat that will be the downfall of his presidency. Those reading this may ask, "Shouldn't he try/attempt to please both Democrats and Republicans?" Of course the simply response is "yes." But, we all know that the core quality of a good leader is to make the tough decisions understanding that there will not be a consensus agreement. Even Republicans can appreciate someone making a firm decision and sticking with it. This is why they supported President Bush for eight years despite his illogical/non-directive/unpopular politics. I like the fact that Bush made the tough decision and stuck with it. Yes, at times he made mistakes and should have openly admitted his mistakes to the American people, but nonetheless he made the tough decisions.

The centerpiece to this discussion is, can President Obama make the tough decisions? It was easy to make firm decisions on the economic crisis and global terrorism, however the decision to be made on health care insurance will impact the American people differently. The others were "must" decisions, but the issue of health care insurance is the first "proactive" decision of his administration and potentially could hurt his approval rating and turn-off voters. His "marketplace" health care plan that Obama talks about to increase competition among insurance companies and keep them honest has alot of loopholes (public vs. private competition, rationing care, socialized care, etc.). But rather than addressing the various elements of the plan, his goal is to promote the overall picture (ie. Free and/or affordable health care for all). Everyone knows that "free" often comes with a price and affordable means, "you get what you pay for."

Will Obama risk making an unpopular decision this early in his presidency? Is he tough enough to make a decision and live with the consequences?