At this point in his term, Barack Obama is the equivalent to the used car salesman who can't accept the fact that he's lost the sale. We were looking for something different than what we had for the previous eight years. We wanted something economical, reliable and stable. We needed versatile, and rugged, with room for everyone. We were looking for something that we could be proud of. What we've seen so far doesn't come close.We're about half-way through the test drive and suddenly the entire car begins to shake and tremor. Clunks and bangs are erupting from beneath the hood, and the windows are rattling, but like the consummate salesmen he continues to smile and reference how lovely the interior is. "Oh, that, that's nothing," he says, attempting to move us on to the next detail of the car. He goes on to say that all the bad reviews we mentioned were done by biased writers and people who don't like the company. "It's not the car they don't like," he explains matter of factly. "It's me."

Meanwhile, a back tire pops, and a clang erupts from somewhere in the back of the vehicle. We see in the rear view mirror that the traffic behind us has started to swerve around something that has fallen onto the asphalt. "Oh, glad we missed that pot hole," Obama says smiling. Keeping on track, he pushes on and continues to guarantee us the automobile is good. He tells us the drive train is solid, the engine is pristine, the gas mileage is optimum, and there is no need for a warranty. "The car is perfect," he continues, "like what I said in the past, my mechanics have done their job." Despite his claims, we have concerns over what we are seeing and frankly we don't care how big this car is in Europe and in China. We can see first hand in real time there are major mechanical errors. Still, he insists that if we ourselves were mechanics, we would understand what the car is doing in its fits and spasms, and that the massive rooster tail of black smoke billowing from the exhaust pipe behind us is normal and precisely what should be happening. "The black smoke means it's running clean," he tells us. He goes on to explain as normal civilians, we don't have the capacity to understand good technology when we see it. "This car is complicated," he explains. "Much too complicated for you to understand. All you need to know is that it works and that my mechanics have worked on it." When we push for more details he smiles and says, "I'll answer all your questions after you've purchased the car."

Unfortunately for him, we recognize a piece of junk car when we see one, and we start heading back for the dealership to end the demonstration. Now is the time he should quit while he still has a trace of credibility. He should stop wasting time and money on advertising this monster. The jig is up and we're moving on to a different car and a different dealership. He should learn to accept it and acknowledge that his pitch doesn't support the product. Yes, this is where we part. Hopefully, we will remember him the next time we encounter a smiling, well spoken charmer who seems too good to be true. Hopefully, we will remind ourselves that the personality of the salesman doesn't make the car. We will keep in mind, that the end of the day it is we the buyers that are forced to bare the brunt of the bill and what it costs to keep it running. It was a nice pitch though. Unfortunately, his product doesn't match his claims.

Jeff J. Langford is a Coeur d'Alene resident