A quick word regarding my Twitter feed, which this morning is full of, “Support the president!” and “fuk u, bufalos” type of back-and-forth:You can follow me there. It’s mostly yammering about the ferrets and what they’re trying to eat today.
Also? There is no more imperative to “support the president” with total absence of debate now than there was during the Bush administration. He is not Tinkerbell. He does not need us to clap. If someone says something critical of Obama it is not going to weaken his essence or something. He’s a smart, powerful, pretty self-assured dude with a few hundred folks around him employed to carry out his every whim. He can take it if someone with a web site says, about Afghanistan or anything else, “This is a douche move.”
You’re required to “support the president” by agreeing with him when you agree with him. That’s it. Al Qaeda is not watching us to see if we are weakening in our magic unity powers. Chuck Todd will be upset, sure, because Mommy and Daddy fighting freaks him out, but: We’re a pretty tough bunch of folks, 101st Keyboarding Brigade notwithstanding, and we can stomach a little disagreement. You or I being at odds with the president does not mean the apocalypse is upon us. He will survive and so will we.
A.
On top of all of that, it’s not like this was a surprise. He’s been saying for two years now that there are more troops needed in Afghanistan. You can argue with that assertion all you want, but let’s not act like this was a big switcheroo.
Now, we can also talk about how domestic politics played a huge role in this (Can you imagine any president ever getting re-elected after ending two wars? In this fucked up country?), but that’s not the same as feeling sold out.
We canalso talk about how it’s a goddamn shame that there are different standards applied to Republican vs. Democratic presidents when it comes to the use of force (or any other goddamned thing) and party/media support. That’s a pretty interesting topic, and one that’ll only make you want to pull 15/16ths of your hair out.
You’re the man, A.
I don’t have enough hair to pull out to do that, Jude. I agree with you: this is consistent with what Obama has been saying all along. I’m just feeling tepid and, once again, ambivalent.
Funny, all the folks I’ve heard chanting “Support the President” for the last 6 years are now chanting:
Born in Kenya, Communist-Marxist-Stalinist-Fascist
taking our 2nd amendment rights
Traitor to the country.
I like listening to President Obama speak. It’s so refreshing after Bush. If I could just clear my mind of what he’s actually saying.
I heard nothing last night that makes me think Obama and his team have the slightest clue about what’s happening in Afghanistan or the slightest clue about how to extricate us from there. He’s listening to the generals and they are not his friend. They are only friends to themselves and their ambitions.
Afghanistan is an albatross that Obama allows the generals (who are all Republicans) to hang around his neck.
Pity us poor fools who’s only hope is Obama? As dismal as it is this evening, how much more dismal would it be if that nasty old curdmudgeon McCain were the one calling the shots.
Excuse me, but I need a drink.