It’s been just over a year since then-candidate Obama mocked Ayn Rand and attacked the core of libertarian philosophy, but it seems his attitudes have changed a bit since assuming the mantle of President.

 Obama on The Virtue of Selfishness 

At 1:35 into the vid, candidate Obama attacks John McCain and Sarah Palin for “wanting to make a virtue of selfishness,” and the drooling retards at his speech erupt into thunderous applause.

But a year later, while trying to explain to the world why he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize after sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan and maintaining our presence in Iraq, now President Obama had the following to say (From the AP ):

Yet the world must remember that it was not simply international institutions — not just treaties and declarations — that brought stability to a post-World War II world. Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this: The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms. The service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform has promoted peace and prosperity from Germany to Korea, and enabled democracy to take hold in places like the Balkans. We have borne this burden not because we seek to impose our will. We have done so out of enlightened self-interest — because we seek a better future for our children and grandchildren, and we believe that their lives will be better if other people’s children and grandchildren can live in freedom and prosperity.

lol

So, a year ago we were committing some heinous act for encouraging people to live lives of reason and with goals for their own betterment, and now we’ve got him praising the Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex’s war machine as the salvation and hope for peace and prosperity, due to the previously derided virtue of an “enlightened self interest” on the part of the American citizens? Gotta love watching power make liberals into conservatives, huh?

You know, the President ought to start reading his Machiavelli.

From The Prince:

It would be well to be considered liberal; nevertheless liberality such as the world understands it will injure you, because if used virtuously and in the proper way, it will not be known, and you will incur the disgrace of the contrary vice. But one who wishes to obtain the reputation of liberality among men, must not omit every kind of sumptuous display, and to such an extent that a prince of this character will consume by such means all his resources, and will be at last compelled, if he wishes to maintain his name for liberality, to impose heavy taxes on his people, become extortionate, and do everything possible to obtain money. This will make his subjects begin to hate him.

From the Discourses on Livy:

In free countries we also see wealth increase more rapidly, both that which results from the culture of the soil and that which is produced by industry and art; for every body gladly multiplies those things, and seeks to acquire those goods the possession of which he can tranquilly enjoy. Thence men vie with each other to increase both private and public wealth, which consequently increase in an extraordinary manner.

There’s the solution to so many things.  Stop trying to micromanage and let the American people run the country, pursuing profit every step of the way. This is a country full of exceptional people, always has been, and given free rein, there are no heights to which America may not climb. The debt will vanish faster than anyone thinks possible, industry will flood this country, and people won’t need the government’s help just to get by if they’re are allowed to truly pursue their own rational, self (selfish) interest.

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