Via Daily Dish, an interesting proposal to keep us Obama supporters honest: a list of things Obama could do as president that would cause us to lose faith. I'm making a list for myself, along with my 'consequences' for each one.

I think it's a very healthy exercise. I think that if the American press had demanded a very simple statement from Bush in early 2003, we never would have gone to war in Iraq. That statement could have been something as simple as:

If weapons of mass destruction are not found in Iraq, I will not run for re-election.

So simple, and yet, the fact that no one in the Administration would say it spoke volumes. Despite this, they managed to hoodwink many via simple grade-school repetition. And so I think it would have been good for journalists and bloggers alike to take a similar pledge. I still can't get over the fact that Andrew Sullivan is still blogging with significant influence despite having been astronomically wrong on Iraq - and he's not alone. Shouldn't all Iraq war supporters be permanently discredited for any journalistic or analysis role, given the magnitude of the mistake, the obviousness of the misread facts, and the severity of the consequences?

I'm half-serious. I don't know if it would actually be a good move, but I think it's worth some consideration. I personally stand as someone against the war from the outset - there's a public radio archive somewhere out there with documentation.

A Crazy Cabinet

I saw a comment on some blog which contended that Obama's cabinet would contain Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Jeremiah Wright. Should it actually happen, I'll eat my hat, and would not cast a vote for re-election. I'll also send a week's pay as a donation to the National Review.

Expanding the Bush Tax Cuts

It's conceivable that pressure from Congress could force the Bush tax cuts into perpetuity, but given the current poll numbers, it looks like Congress will almost certainly continue to be Democratic. However, if some twist of fate occurs and Congress tries to force through an even more unequal tax cut, I'd expect a veto. Signing it into law will entail a donation equal to a week's worth of pay to FIST, because at that point I'll be convinced that capitalism and democracy cannot co-exist.

An Anti-Roe v. Wade SCOTUS Appointee

The Due Process defense is sound. Week's pay to NARAL.

Executive-Condoned Torture

If Obama continues the Bush policies of advocating for torture from every level of the Executive Branch, I'll donate a week's pay to the ACLU.