Being commander in chief of the United States means a lot of things: It means balancing the voice of the people with what’s best for the nation, and usually, it means having nearly as many failures as victories.

No American can expect his or her president to be perfect, but our basic expectations do include poise, determination and above all, honesty. Despite its imperial status, honesty is what we often find most lacking in those we elect.

For all his speeches on transparency, President Barack Obama has so far let the American people down in that category in his second term.

With the introduction of the Affordable Care Act — commonly referred to as Obamacare — came a multitude of assurances and promises about what the bill would entail and what it would provide for the American people.

What the American people needed during the introduction of this vital legislation was a transparent and honest explanation of all the bill’s aspects. The Obama administration and state representatives should have provided answers to any questions presented on the subject, and many of them did.

What was also provided were promises about Obamacare, most from Obama, which were not fulfilled during its implementation. Amid the chaos of the government shutdown, in which Democrats and Republicans argued continuously about the new health care reform, many temporarily forgot those promises. However, when the shutdown ended and the faulty Obamacare website launched, the American people were reminded of those assurances.

One of the promises made was that individuals who like their doctor would be able to keep the same doctor after the implementation of Obamacare. Similarly, the president assured those who like their current insurance plan they could keep that, too.

However, countless Americans have received notifications of policy cancellations since the start of the Affordable Care Act. As would be expected, these letters caused quite a bit of anger among the American public. For some, having their insurance policies canceled might not be the end of the world, especially as Obamacare provides many more — and often better — options. However, the simple fact that our president made promises he couldn’t keep is more than enough to get upset about.

In accordance with these mistakes, Obama issued an apology: “I am sorry that they, you know, are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me.” As necessary as that apology was, it doesn’t take back what has already been done.

It is probably going too far to assume that Obama issued these promises with full knowledge that he wouldn’t be able to keep them, simply in order to boost the popularity and acceptance of the Affordable Care Act. However, we can at least agree that Obama and his administration should not have oversimplified the explanation of Obamacare so much that they ended up making promises they could not keep.

No amount of past or future transparency can save the Obama administration from the public’s knowledge of their transgressions. Perhaps, compared to past administrations’ errors, these small slip-ups are inconsequential.

However, if honesty is what we most desire from our presidents, why is it so elusive? Is it really too much to ask that our government communicate clearly with the American people, while being straightforward and transparent at the same time?

No, it isn’t. Which is why we should not be okay with Obama’s broken promises about the Affordable Care Act. We need to start holding our representatives and politicians accountable for their words, as well as their deeds, because the American people deserve nothing less than the truth.