Last week, TIME published what many political pundits are heralding as the definitive article on President Obama’s adoption of a series of right-wing policies that his left-wing base finds anathema.
The article, entitled The Fall of Greg Craig (Obama’s top lawyer), recounts the behind-the-scenes war at the White House for the soul of Obama’s presidency, which pitted liberal ideologues (reportedly led by Craig) against liberal pragmatists (led by Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s chief of staff). And even though the ideologues won a few battles, it is clear that the pragmatists won this war.
He and the Administration have adapted as we have learned more and the issues have evolved, but there has not been an ideological shift.
(White House spokesman Ben LaBolt)
Sure … tell that to the vanquished Craig who announced his resignation last week because, as TIME reports, “the agenda had changed”. Incidentally, nothing demonstrates this change quite like the way Obama has betrayed an almost solicitous disposition to abandon the public option (government run) feature of healthcare reform that the ideologues regard as an article of faith.
Much of this internecine war was fought over Obama’s campaign promise to discontinue Bush’s war-on-terror policies. But the pathos of the article stems from the gradual disillusionment of the ideologues as Obama began to marginalize them on key issues like the release of memos detailing harsh interrogation methods and of photos of suspected terrorists being abused in US custody: Craig argued that releasing them was a moral imperative; Emanuel argued that it was political suicide.
But I knew from the day Obama was elected that it would be thus. (There was of course the instructive precedent Bill Clinton set by co-opting ring-wing policies like welfare reform – in a strategy called “triangulation” – to inject pragmatism into his domestic agenda.) In fact, here’s how I presaged this war the day after:
His agenda will invariably be modified by the infighting between liberal and moderate Democrats that is bound to ensue. [But] I’m sure the congenitally pragmatic Obama will [avoid] lurching too far to the left…
[Good morning Mr President-elect…, TIJ, November 5, 2008]
And here’s how I sided with the pragmatist long before this White House war was chronicled by TIME:
[L]iberals are simmering with disillusionment over the fact that Obama has been systematically adopting many of Bush’s war-on-terror tactics, which they, and he, routinely condemned during last year’s presidential campaign…
Even though I’m probably among the most liberal of Obama’s supporters, I agree wholeheartedly with all of his flip flops in this respect. Indeed … it is politically naïve and hypocritical to ridicule former VP Dick Cheney’s dire warnings about canceling Bush’s war-on-terror policies. (Because if he did and we were hit it would doom Obama’s presidency).
[Obama angers liberals by governing just like Bush, TIJ, May 14, 2009]
But now even liberal pragmatists are becoming disillusioned by the growing perception that Obama is not only dithering on Afghanistan but losing his bearing on his entire political agenda. I, however, do not share their disillusionment; for I am convinced that there’s uncanny method to Obama’s apparent chaos.
In fact, I think far too many liberals are being swayed by conservative spin about Obama’s domestic policy agenda being too unfocused and his foreign policy being too soft. Not to mention the political naivete of those already calling him a “sellout”.
After all, they fail to appreciate that Obama is merely planting political seeds this year (e.g., on the economy, healthcare, Iran and even in his dealings with rabidly partisan Republicans) that he reasonably expects will blossom (i.e., pay dividends) in due course; specifically, on domestic matters, before congressional elections in November 2010, and on foreign affairs, before his presidential reelection in 2012.
Of course, this means that, like the most successful presidents in modern times (namely Reagan and Clinton), Obama is perfectly prepared to sacrifice short-term popularity (and a few congressional Democrats) to ensure his reelection and presidential legacy.
So keep HOPE alive my liberal friends cuz CHANGE is gonna come someday … soon!
Related commentaries:
Good morning Mr President-elect…
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