Thursday, February 05, 2009

Obama, the Lost Agenda, and the Generals













It looks as if Obama has finally realized that he has made a terrible mistake.

And is losing control of his agenda.

Obama's desire to begin a "post-partisan" era may have backfired. In his eagerness to accommodate Republicans and listen to their ideas over the past week, he has allowed the GOP to turn the haggling over the stimulus package into a decidedly stale, Republican-style debate over pork, waste and overspending. This makes very little economic sense when you are in a major recession that only gets worse day by day.

Proof that that Team Obama and his party are losing the debate can be found in a new poll out Wednesday. The Rasmussen Reports survey found that, even though Obama still has a very high approval rating, only 37 percent of Americans now favor the stimulus legislation, compared to 45 percent two weeks ago.

The decisive issue here is leadership. The lack of it is what is plaguing the Obama administration. Every war needs a successful general, and this administration doesn't have one yet

He should have realized sooner that you can't negotiate with Cons, because they'll only try to drag you back to the past where they now belong.

But it gets worse. The Obama administration may not have a successful general yet. But the real generals are revolting.

Obama's decision to override Petraeus's recommendation has not ended the conflict between the president and senior military officers over troop withdrawal, however. There are indications that Petraeus and his allies in the military and the Pentagon, including Gen. Ray Odierno, now the top commander in Iraq, have already begun to try to pressure Obama to change his withdrawal policy.

A network of senior military officers is also reported to be preparing to support Petraeus and Odierno by mobilising public opinion against Obama's decision.


An economy collapsing, right-wingers trying to sabotage efforts to save it, senior generals playing politics, and a commander who thinks he's God.

Where are we going?

Where have I seen this movie before?

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