Sunday, May 17, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Obama Torture and Angst of the Left
Back in November I wrote a blog titled Memo to the Left – is there cheese with that “whine”? The essence of that blog was a response to the whining from the left in the post election days who were complaining about the “Clintonian” feel of the new White House, and then President Elect Obama’s decision not to go to Georgia to campaign in the runoff election. My commentary suggested to the left that the true change message is not in policy, but in competence, and while people on both sides of the aisle may disagree with his policies, the restoration of competent government is President Obama’s core contract with America.
Chomping at the bit for political payback and using the issue of torture as a pretext, the left is back at it again. Let’s call a spade a spade, this is not merely about torture, or degradation of America’s long standing virtues, but an opportunity of the political left in America to finally give their arch rivals, the Neocons, their comeuppance. This is about punishment and political revenge, and if revenge means criminal war crimes investigations against former President Bush, his Vice President, his Defense Secretary, and his entire national defense and justice department team, then “Let’s cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war”. They say America needs this type of purging, to prevent future trashing of American values, and laws, and sir, Mr. President Barack Hussein Obama, we need you to take the lead in this effort.
For the sake of clarity, the malfeasance of the Bush Administration, bordered on criminal in some cases, and if there are indeed investigations, I am certain they will show how, when, and why the Bush Administration crossed the legal Rubicon. The release of Bush Administration memos, and recent testimony on the Hill, all raise enough smoke to suggest there is fire, and will most undoubtedly lead to some form of investigation, or commission. When this happens it will most likely compel the Justice Department to call for an independent counsel. Yet as Speaker Nancy Pelosi is finding out, the “incoming” won’t be aimed solely at the Bush Administration; members of Congress will be required to say what they knew, and when they knew it. And to assert as Speaker Pelosi did as being lied to as a defensive tactic, leaves her vulnerable in the event that contemporaneous documents say otherwise.
As for President Obama, and the left, it seems like only a few years ago the left complained that the Bush Administration had been co-opted by the right wing of the party, at the expense of moderates in his party – and more damaging, at the expense of the country. Now the left is complaining because President Obama is not allowing them to push him around. This is ironic, coming from a man once thought to be too esoteric and professorial to navigate the testosterone filled Beltway politics. Privately President Obama may be using the street message to those who continue to underestimate him -“you got me messed up”.
There is error in the under estimating the political instincts of a man who only today named one of his potential 2012 rivals, Republican Governor of Utah John Huntsman, as Ambassador to China, there is error in underestimating the tenacity of Barack Obama to tick off his Presidential “to do” list, leftist angst notwithstanding, there is error in failing to recognize that Barack Obama has had a steady, intractable centrist march since winning the nomination, finally there is error in confusing the reality and world view of a political campaign to the reality and world view of real governance. Amazing how the political neophyte Barack Obama gets it, and the political “veterans” on the left - don’t.
How does this pertain to the issue of torture and investigations? President Obama realizes at some point there will be Congressional investigations and a groundswell of support and rationale for an independent counsel. I don’t think he will stand in the way of that, at the same time, his agenda and his focus has to be on this economy, two wars, energy, and health care. Those issues will consume all if not most of his political capital.
Essentially this is an inside the beltway fight with the likes of Keith Olberman, and Arianna Huffington being some of the key standard bearers. Yet for the left to over commit to looking back, reflects a certain amount of “tonedeaf-ness” on their part, Mr. Olberman and Ms Huffington and many on the left, don’t have to worry about plant closings, student loans or affordable healthcare, so from their lofty perch there is a danger of disconnect from the concerns of the America that elected Barack Obama. Yes America was outraged by the Abu Ghraib photos, and yes we were angered by the lies in the run up to the Iraq War, but in an economy where folks are losing jobs in industries that may never come back, 401k plans are being depleted, credit is frozen and creditors are unrelenting, given a choice between looking forward, and finding solutions to the problems of everyday Americans or siphoning off energy in support of a 30 year political fight the choice to President Obama is clear. Expending that capital by taking the lead on litigating the Bush administration, is simply not an option.
Chomping at the bit for political payback and using the issue of torture as a pretext, the left is back at it again. Let’s call a spade a spade, this is not merely about torture, or degradation of America’s long standing virtues, but an opportunity of the political left in America to finally give their arch rivals, the Neocons, their comeuppance. This is about punishment and political revenge, and if revenge means criminal war crimes investigations against former President Bush, his Vice President, his Defense Secretary, and his entire national defense and justice department team, then “Let’s cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war”. They say America needs this type of purging, to prevent future trashing of American values, and laws, and sir, Mr. President Barack Hussein Obama, we need you to take the lead in this effort.
For the sake of clarity, the malfeasance of the Bush Administration, bordered on criminal in some cases, and if there are indeed investigations, I am certain they will show how, when, and why the Bush Administration crossed the legal Rubicon. The release of Bush Administration memos, and recent testimony on the Hill, all raise enough smoke to suggest there is fire, and will most undoubtedly lead to some form of investigation, or commission. When this happens it will most likely compel the Justice Department to call for an independent counsel. Yet as Speaker Nancy Pelosi is finding out, the “incoming” won’t be aimed solely at the Bush Administration; members of Congress will be required to say what they knew, and when they knew it. And to assert as Speaker Pelosi did as being lied to as a defensive tactic, leaves her vulnerable in the event that contemporaneous documents say otherwise.
As for President Obama, and the left, it seems like only a few years ago the left complained that the Bush Administration had been co-opted by the right wing of the party, at the expense of moderates in his party – and more damaging, at the expense of the country. Now the left is complaining because President Obama is not allowing them to push him around. This is ironic, coming from a man once thought to be too esoteric and professorial to navigate the testosterone filled Beltway politics. Privately President Obama may be using the street message to those who continue to underestimate him -“you got me messed up”.
There is error in the under estimating the political instincts of a man who only today named one of his potential 2012 rivals, Republican Governor of Utah John Huntsman, as Ambassador to China, there is error in underestimating the tenacity of Barack Obama to tick off his Presidential “to do” list, leftist angst notwithstanding, there is error in failing to recognize that Barack Obama has had a steady, intractable centrist march since winning the nomination, finally there is error in confusing the reality and world view of a political campaign to the reality and world view of real governance. Amazing how the political neophyte Barack Obama gets it, and the political “veterans” on the left - don’t.
How does this pertain to the issue of torture and investigations? President Obama realizes at some point there will be Congressional investigations and a groundswell of support and rationale for an independent counsel. I don’t think he will stand in the way of that, at the same time, his agenda and his focus has to be on this economy, two wars, energy, and health care. Those issues will consume all if not most of his political capital.
Essentially this is an inside the beltway fight with the likes of Keith Olberman, and Arianna Huffington being some of the key standard bearers. Yet for the left to over commit to looking back, reflects a certain amount of “tonedeaf-ness” on their part, Mr. Olberman and Ms Huffington and many on the left, don’t have to worry about plant closings, student loans or affordable healthcare, so from their lofty perch there is a danger of disconnect from the concerns of the America that elected Barack Obama. Yes America was outraged by the Abu Ghraib photos, and yes we were angered by the lies in the run up to the Iraq War, but in an economy where folks are losing jobs in industries that may never come back, 401k plans are being depleted, credit is frozen and creditors are unrelenting, given a choice between looking forward, and finding solutions to the problems of everyday Americans or siphoning off energy in support of a 30 year political fight the choice to President Obama is clear. Expending that capital by taking the lead on litigating the Bush administration, is simply not an option.
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