**Written by Doug Powers

What a big difference eight years and a liberal presidential loss makes.

Late October 2008:

We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.

November 2016:

It just depends on who’s doing the “transforming”:

President Barack Obama said Sunday he doesn’t intend to become his successor’s constant critic — but reserved the right to speak out if President-elect Donald Trump or his policies breach certain “values or ideals.”

Offering a rare glimpse into his thoughts on his post-presidency, Obama suggested once he was out of office he would uphold the tradition of ex-presidents stepping aside quietly to allow their successors space to govern. He heaped praise on former President George W. Bush, saying he “could not have been more gracious to me when I came in” and said he wanted to give Trump the same chance to pursue his agenda “without somebody popping off” at every turn.

But Obama suggested there may be limits to his silence.

“As an American citizen who cares deeply about our country, if there are issues that have less to do with the specifics of some legislative proposal or battle or go to core questions about our values and ideals, and if I think that it’s necessary or helpful for me to defend those ideals, I’ll examine it when it comes,” Obama told reporters.

Obviously, by American “values and ideals,” Obama means HIS values and ideals: Countless pen & phone decrees, Obamacare, sanctuary cities, weaponized DOJ and IRS, etc.

**Written by Doug Powers

Twitter @ThePowersThatBe