Never Underestimate the Power of Cowardice

In spite of Obama’s paper thin resume of doing anything beyond street agitation one thing did stand out. In his short political life he has leaned heavily on voting “present” on any important or controversial issue (unless the legislation includes killing babies where he is 100% in).

Back in the first week of September Michael Barone predicted a very dire set of choices that the young president would be forced to make in September.

In fact, he identified the top three priorities. Let’s take a look at those hard choices and gage the president’s progress so far.

Obama Cannot Escape Hard Choices in September
by Michael Barone

“Very active.” That’s what White House aides say Barack Obama is going to be this month. That’s probably an understatement. Obama faces September deadlines on three issues, on each of which he could get himself in political trouble, not only with those on the right and center but also those on the political left.
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Only one of those issues is domestic: health care. Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress, scheduled rather hastily for Wednesday night, gives him a chance to turn around public opinion, which has been going against his policies, and to generate something like the enthusiasm his candidacy created last year.

This is an absolute train wreck that will not only fail to improve healthcare, it will hurt it and make it more expensive. Reid and Pelosi deserve a great deal of blame on this one but Obama gave it to them and as yet has not produced anything in the shape of legislation from the Whitehouse.

If anything at all comes from all of this it will be catastrophically bad and will result in Republican campaign ads for years.

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Obama may also face a binary choice on Afghanistan. Reading between the lines of stories on Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s recommendations, it seems likely that the White House has been pressuring him not to ask for more troops and that he will do so anyway, and with the approval of Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Well, the 3:00a.m. call came and it went to voice mail while the president played golf and of course politics. He has refused Gen. McChrystal’s request which was based entirely upon a strategy released from the administration in March.

Obama’s silence is deafening given that American deaths are climbing while he is doing everything possible except his job as CinC.

This could likely become the greatest shame in a woefully disastrous one-term presidency.

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The third issue on which Obama will need to choose is Iran. Earlier this year he set a deadline of September for the beginning of talks with Iran.

The Obama administration (where the hell is Hillary anyway) has adopted an approach to Iran that will guarantee only one of two possible outcomes.

Either Israel will attack Iran to destroy its nuclear facilities and thus spark a significant regional war that could collapse any hope of an economic recovery…or Iran gets the bomb and triggers an even bigger war.

There is a way to deal with Iran but kissing their asses is not it.

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“To govern is to choose,” John Kennedy said, and Barack Obama is going to have to make some tough choices this month — choices that could antagonize his left-wing base.

Barone was wrong. He didn’t choose anything in September except to vote “Present” again.

Anyone who is surprised by the epic failure that we are witnessing and in fact enduring is an idiot.

Category: Politics