The definition of immaturity.

Bono, lead singer of U2, and all around world citizen wrote a piece for the New York Times in which he states: The world wants to believe in America again...

It goes without saying at this point that this is a statement that cannot stand without Bono's assumptions about Mr. Obama as the foundation. He is not saying: the world wants to believe in America again regardless who is President. He is saying: The world wants to believe in Obama. Which is the particular pathology Obama is masterful at exploiting. The want to believe in him - a desire so deep and driven that not only is evidence ignored - it's not part of the equation whatsoever. What Obama does has no affect on this desire. It is all about what Obama says.

Bono quotes one of Obama's speeches to make the point that Obama is a good and worthy man: We will support the Millennium Development Goals, and approach next year's summit with a global plan to make them a reality. And we will set our sights on the eradication of extreme poverty in our time.

Bono again:...these 36 words are why I believe Mr. Obama could well be a force for peace and prosperity-if the words signal action. Notice that he tacks on the last 5 words to let us know he is not a complete dupe. Bono has standards. He tells us - Americans - as if we did not "get it" - that it's our President who is saying such noble things. Isn't that miraculous? You people who foisted Bush on us - now have done something right!

Alas, Bono fails prey to Axlerod's political skills. Speeches matter more than actions. Speeches are worthy of veneration and prizes. Actions come later...or we hope they do. But hope - the want, the desire, is all that matters. In the desire rest good feelings - and feeling good is the goal. This, as any first year psych student will inform you, is the definition of immaturity.

Like so many Europeans, Bono fundamentally misunderstands America's greatness. America's greatness DOES NOT spring from our Enlightenment ideals of republican democracy. Yes, you read that right. If greatness on the world stage came from lofty intentions and high ideals ancient Greece would still be a world power.

America's greatness springs from our republican values AND the people who were willing to embody them. Jefferson not only refined Enlightenment ideals for us- he became a traitor to his king. Susan B. Anthony did not merely make speeches. She got arrested. We owe as much to every black child who was water cannoned, arrested and killed in protest as we do to Dr. King. Bono does not understand this. The continued embodiment of American ideals by Americans is our strength. Thus far, there is no evidence that Obama is willing to sacrifice for an ideal. Any ideal.

Bono is, finally, a victim of a pervasive decadence that currently poisons the West. From this decadence comes the belief that intentions matter more than actions. The day Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize he snubbed the Dalai Lama - a perfect microcosm of the difference between judging someone on their intentions rather than their actions.

In Bono's world, Obama's speeches and alleged intentions alone are worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. Obama makes Bono feel better. Do not be fooled: This belief is poison. It is the devil none of us fully know. Good feelings are not facts. Mistaking them for facts always has unfortunate consequences. Good feelings generated by good speeches won't stop Iran from getting the bomb, or bring peace to the Middle East, or stop Israel from attacking Iran, or convince the Chinese to keep buying our debt, or feed one hungry child. Not one. Yet, Bono, a man to be admired for his tireless good work, believes that Obama should be awarded for his intentions.

Finally, Bono's veneration of Obama in the New York Times can and should be dismissed for the simple reason that it's a campaign endorsement, not an assessment of President Obama's time in office. He's still riding hope. It's as if the last 10 months haven't yet occurred. The botching of the gitmo closure has not happened. The drone attacks on Pakistani civilians have not happened. The strengthening of FISA has not happened. The attacks on gay service men and women have stopped...

We, the realists, cannot allow our view to be clouded by the constant re-upping of "Hope" from the immature among us. Obama's goalposts cannot be moved every time the hope addicted need a fix. We must see the man and judge him on his actions. THAT IS THE JOB OF CITIZENS IN A DEMOCRACY.