The president isn’t going to do everything we want him to do. Sometimes — gasp! — he’ll do exactly the opposite of what we want him to do.
That doesn’t mean he’s exactly like George W. Bush. Or that he’s betraying us.
I don’t claim to know the political reasons why the president seems to have reversed his position on tribunals, state secrets or the torture pictures. But I do know that he has to operate in a political world where Republicans and the insufferable “conservadems” are obstructing his nominees and attempting to sabotage his agenda. Therefore, he has to set priorities and make occasional concessions, despite the congressional majority.
As the president said recently, the ship of state is not unlike a battleship and it takes a long time to turn a corner. So while the tribunals will continue, Guantanamo is being closed and the process is being reformed. While he didn’t release the torture photos, they might eventually be released anyway — plus, he banned torture outright and there will very likely be investigations of some sort. Wide turn ratio, but the tide is still — well, you know.
At the same time, it’s clear that the discipline of the campaign has continued in the White House. He has a very specific agenda and is admirably struggling like hell to keep it on track. For instance, killing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) might not happen tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean he won’t reverse it — when the time is right.
So knowing that the ship of state takes a long time to turn; and that he operates in a political world; and that he’s sticking with his agenda, I’ve been asking myself: Would I rather have serious credit card reform or the torture photos? Would I rather have a public option for healthcare or the cessation of tribunals? Yes, yes, yes, he should be able to do both. But don’t forget: this is Washington and broader “change” isn’t as easy as putting a hammer to a nail.
Both Thom Hartmann and Bill Maher (separately) noted on Friday that the president has accomplished some hugely important goals and, save for a two or three, hired a seriously great crew. For every disturbing WTF decision, there are at least three or four accomplishments worth our collective applause. (I’d like to go through the last 100 days or so and calculate the exact ratio.)
One way or another, I’ll be accused of being all worshippy, but I assure you, that’s not the case. In fact, I think I’m being pragmatic and realistic. And I’m worried that too many liberals and progressives aren’t seeing the forest for the trees and will therefore become unnecessarily disillusioned with what’s going on — most importantly, I’m worried about where that disillusionment leads.
We’re not going to get everything we want, but we are, in fact, getting a lot.
