By Craig Robinson

While in Davenport this week, President Obama talked to the assembled crowd about the importance of trust. The President said, “There is no more serious issue on a presidential campaign than trust. Trust matters.” President Obama launched into to his lecture on trust after a lengthy attack on Mitt Romney.

Calling out to the crowd, the President said, “Iowa, you know me. You know I say what I mean and I mean what I say.” Being next-door to his home state of Illinois, Obama mentioned that there are people in the crowd who have been following him since he ran for the U.S. senate. “You know what,” the President asked, “You can take a videotape of things I said ten years ago, twelve years ago, and say, ‘Man, this is the same guy. Has the same values. Cares about the same people.’”

There is just one problem with the President’s claim. It isn’t true.

In the midst of the 2008 general election, both Obama and Senator John McCain participated in a candidate forum at Saddleback Church with the highly respected Pastor Rick Warren, the author of A Purpose Driven Life.

In the forum, candidate Obama was asked by Pastor Warren to define marriage. Obama said, “I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian — for me — for me as a Christian, it is also a sacred union. God’s in the mix.”

Pastor Warren then asked Obama if would support a constitutional amendment with that definition. “No, I would not,” he answered. When pressed why not, Obama explained, “Because historically, we have not defined marriage in our constitution. It’s been a matter of state law. That has been our tradition.” Obama further explained his position by saying, “I am not somebody who promotes same-sex marriage, but I do believe in civil unions.”

Obama’s belief that marriage is between a man and a woman was only good enough for his first presidential campaign. Last May, Obama reversed his position and said that he supported gay marriage. On Thursday, the Associated Press reporter that President Obama is now going to publically back gay marriage ballot initiatives in Maine, Maryland and Washington.

Maybe the President shouldn’t be daring people to go check the tape. Not only has the hope and optimism he campaigned on in 2008 vanished and turned into petty attacks on his opponent, but he has also reversed his position on something as fundamental as the definition of marriage.

It seems disingenuous for President Obama to disparage Romney by creating terms like “Romnesia,” when he himself suffers from the same ailment. While Obama blasts Romney for misleading voters, the tape that the President begged people to check shows him not only pulling a fast one on Americans, but also lying to the very pastor who prayed at his inauguration.

Americans deserve better.