By: J. Charles Coughlin

The closing remarks of the President’s State of the Union address the other night were moving. He spoke of the teamwork necessary to accomplish incredibly difficult and complex missions. He spoke of members of a team having each other’s backs. He said that the way in which those members of our armed forces conducted themselves spoke exactly to the way in which elected officials should conduct the public’s business – selflessly serving the public good.

Unfortunately, our President words don’t match his deeds. On far too many occasions as it relates to his administration’s relationship towards Arizona, this President has let us down, time and again.

Rather than respond thoughtfully to the public outrage over illegal immigration, he played the race card, implying that “people could get arrested for going out for Ice cream.” Rather than owning the debacle that has become the Fast & Furious gun walking fiasco, his Justice Department is laying the blame at the feet of Arizonans – both Democrat and Republican who know full well that the program was fully authorized at the highest levels of the Justice Department. When the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas blew up, Janet Reno had the class to own it. This Justice Department hasn’t met a problem it can’t deny.

Don’t forget that Holder didn’t even read the 1070 legislation before commenting on it. They sued the state without so much as considering how to work with us and continue to fail to understand the root problem of the immigration crisis to begin with: Mexico. Rather than deal with the problem, they continue to play politics.

American reaction to the immigration crisis will continue to focus on the tail; immigration, rather than the dog; Mexico, until a Presidential Administration steps up and begins to redefine our nation’s relationship with our fourth largest trading partner and Arizona’s largest trading partner.

The President of the United States knows this and continues to use this issue as a political cudgel rallying the troops on the left to fight the troops on the right. That is why President Obama opted to confront Governor Brewer about her book yesterday instead of discussing with her how she has been able to start the “Arizona Comeback.” The President obviously can talk a good game about leadership, selflessness, and teamwork, but when it comes down to it his actions – picking a fight about a book, playing the race card on immigration, or owning his administration’s failure to let guns walk into Mexico – he is incapable of living up to his own rhetoric.

When President Obama uses stirring references like the one he used earlier this week in his speech, I just don’t believe him, and I don’t trust him and neither do a majority of the American people.

After his defeat of Senator McCain in 2008, I really wanted him to succeed; now I just want him to go.

J. Charles “Chuck” Coughlin is the Founder & President of Highground.