I was one of the many Americans who did not vote for Barack Obama.

There were quite a few of us -- almost 46 percent of voters preferred John McCain. Thus, Obama's win was hardly the overwhelming mandate some claim it to be. Nonetheless, we lost. And, like many Americans, I was prepared to support our new president. Admittedly, he lacked experience and had not ever really run anything -- not even a candy store. But he had charisma, spoke well and, given his innate intelligence, appeared capable of growing into the job.

I deeply regret that what I have seen so far suggests not only ineptitude but also a scary prognosis.

We can overlook the broken promises about no earmarks and no lobbyists being hired. But we cannot overlook the ghastly indebtedness our children's children face, and we cannot overlook the flailing attempts to solve every problem at once while circling wagons around the urgency of a recession.

Some things cannot be over-looked. The first was Obama's egregious thought about moving veteran's health to the private sector. No matter that he backed away from this insidious idea, the fact that he thought of it in the first place must be condemned loudly. I suspect that he backed away because outrage pushed him into a corner from which he had to escape. And, when he deems the time to be ripe, he may well bring it up again.

Had such a plan become law, many of our men and women of the armed services would soon be bankrupt because they could not afford the treatments of injuries incurred while protecting this nation.

There should never ever be any cutback in medical treatment for Purple Heart recipients. Period. Our country owes these people more than it can ever pay. And when President Obama even hints otherwise, he disappoints and disgusts most Americans.

Thus far, Mr. Obama has demonstrated true expertise in only one area: campaigning. This is where he shines, and this is where he heads when the going gets tough: out on the campaign trail. The trouble with that is, the campaign has already been won and now it begins to look like a hidey-hole he jumps into when one of his plans backfires.

Another move that raises the hackles is his Organizing for America association. This is the movement he formed just before his inauguration. Supporters who wish to join are not simply asked to sign up, they are asked to take a pledge. As the American Thinker explains it, this is "a pledge to support not the flag, not the Constitution, not the country, not even the Democratic Party but Obama and his bold plan. OFA does not use the party logo but the 'O'-shaped logo of the Obama campaign."

Many of those who join are youngsters -- too young to vote. Yet. What then is the purpose of this association? Obviously, the bigger it gets, the more support Barack Obama will have for his plans now and future offices. But he is already a first-term president. Could this be a start toward repealing the 22nd Amendment (limiting the president to two terms) to the Constitution? If so, is Obama's current popularity outdistancing reason and reality?

Admittedly, he is young, healthy and popular, but he is yet to be proven as even an adequate leader. We cannot know what our president's ultimate goal may be, but it has all the earmarks of a power play that will make the Bush crowd look like a bunch of bush-leaguers.

The power madness goes far beyond Obama. Pelosi, Reid and Treasury Secretary Geithner are plunging headfirst into the me-first, me-always swamp with other Constitution-be-damned characters.

Far-fetched? Early whistleblowers are seldom heeded. Our task is to reduce the liberal majority to a more equitable level. That calls for replacing large numbers of left-wing congressmen in 2010. Our government is based on checks and balances between the executive, legislative and judicial branches.

At the moment, only the Supreme Court stands between those of us who hold out hope for responsible, thoughtful leaders and a road to socialism.

We Americans of all persuasions should remain alert and vigilant to anything that can hurt our nation. The jury is still out on President Obama. Let us hope for a positive verdict.

This is a great country in need of far less change than the current administration and Congress would like.

Allan Jefferys, a former New York theater critic, entertainment editor and newsman, lives in Pinehurst. Contact him at oldjeff@embarqmail.com.