WASHINGTON D.C.—With Americans preparing delicious meals for the holidays, Washington is, as always, pondering lame duck for a political recipe. This time they are officially in the lame duck session of Congress, where the politicians who were voted out of office are preparing to leave the Capitol but before they do, it’s their opportunity to jam legislation through the House and Senate since the new Congress will most likely not be interested in this Administration’s agenda.

Just last week, President Obama invited former President Bill Clinton to the White House to ask his advice on how the current president will be able to deal with the Republican majority in the House of Representatives and a closer margin of Republicans in the U.S. Senate. President Clinton, despite being a reviled figure by many, is perhaps one of the smartest men and probably the best politician in American history. Whatever the former president said in private, he was ever too happy to return to the White House press briefing room and answer questions before a crowd of reporters that, at many times during his own presidency, loved him or hated him. He’s a polarizing figure, like many great politicians have been, but now that he’s out of office, he receives a welcomed deference that is almost cult-like by the press corps.

The lame duck session of this Congress is trying to decide what to do with the president’s tax legislation that he negotiated with the current Republican leaders in the House of Representatives. Even though this tax legislation will raise the federal deficit by almost $900 million, you don’t hear a word out of the Tea Party, which once couldn’t contain itself when the deficit was rising. That being said, although I am against the federal deficit ballooning, I stand more against taxes, and do believe that it is the best interest of the nation to see middle class tax cuts under the Bush Tax plan remain where they are today, and I wholeheartedly agree with the premise that the top 2 percent of the highest earners in America, also deserve their taxes to remain where they are as well. No American should be penalized for working hard and being successful and productive members of our society.

Although the Tea Party and fiscal conservatives have argued against spending being out of control, in this new package of legislation there is an almost $8 billion price tag on numerous congressional earmarks, which all politicians after the November 2 election have vowed to change and no longer include. This includes Republicans such as current Senate Minority Leader McConnell of Kentucky, who went before the media to speak to the American people after the midterm elections to vow an end to congressional earmarks, even though he’s been on the record for decades stating his support for earmarks. Perhaps, this is the reason why future Majority House Leader John Boehner has spent the past six weeks crying every time he goes before TV cameras?

Whatever Americans expect to change in the next two years, perhaps they had better be certain of what they really want, and then force their politicians to live up to the promises they all make before asking for our votes. Maybe, the real issue was never federal spending at all but hatred for the current president? These are all questions Americans will have to ask themselves before the 2012 Presidential election. The time for supporting one party over another is over. America’s days as the world’s only economic and military superpower are quickly fading along with the American dream that the next generation will have better opportunities than the previous and current generations.

Please remember our brave troops who fight for our rights for freedom and security of our nation and their efforts to bring peace around the world.