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Monday, July 06, 2009

Obama II vs. Obama I

by Victor Davis Hanson
NRO’s The Corner


I don't think it has occurred to the divine ones that the administration now is at odds with the sort of ideology and attitudes Obama himself espoused on the campaign trail.

They call for patience and for confidence in Iraq — and not, in prior Obama-like fashion, dismiss our chances while demanding a strict and rather rapid timetable to get out.

They ask for understanding about renditions, tribunals, Guantanamo, intercepts, wiretaps, and Predator missile attacks as complex issues — and not, in prior Obama-like fashion, dismiss these necessary tools as Constitution-shredding authoritarianism.

They ask for patience on jobs — and not, in prior Obama-like fashion, pontificate about a "jobless recovery" when jobs and growth were far better.

They reassure us that missile defense is insurance against North Korean lunacy — and not, in prior Obama-like fashion, dismiss such investment as needless militaristic provocation.

They ask for latitude about the definition of what is a tax, what defines unemployment, and how we calibrate deficits — and not, in prior Obama-like fashion, blast obfuscation while promising "transparency."

They reassure that their planted questions, the favoritism shown some journalists, the refusal to release White House visit logs, and the arbitrary firing of inconvenient auditors are nothing new — and not, in prior Obama-like fashion, charge government intimidation and suppression of thought.

They ignore corruption in the Democratic-controlled Congress, cater to lobbyists, are not bothered by the tax improprieties of their major cabinet appointments — and do not, in prior Obama-like fashion, demand an end to executive malfeasance.

I know this is old-story politics, but two things are different. One, never has the gap between pre-presidential and in-office behavior been so wide (heaven and earth really are quite distant), and, two, the past promises of utopia have so conditioned a mesmerized media that they don't realize their own complacency in allowing an administration to use whatever means they chose for professedly exalted ends.

This is a strange time, when we are borrowing into oblivion, redefining 60 years of bilateral foreign policy, embarking on unproven — but costly — environmentalism, nationalizing industry and health care, and gleefully establishing a veritable state-sanctioned, pro-government media on the lines Americans used to be terrified about.

In response, as I read between the lines, conservatives are told by the Obamans something to the effect, "Forget our prior demagoguery, aren't you at least happy we backtracked and are now adopting some of your war-on-terror positions we used to trash?", while liberals are supposed to be happy with something like, "Just forget all that stuff about ethics, transparency, and anti-lobbying/influence; we're in power now and will do anything necessary to fulfill your agenda."

There will be a backlash to all this, and one of unprecedented fury.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about his choice of churches? He worships at "Camp David"! I'm sure this is so no one will know he is the AntiChrist!

Anonymous said...

Hogwash. Obama is just what this country needed after 8 years of tearing down of our constitution, economy, status in the world, greed, cronyism and the endless disregard for the rule of law by the Executive Branch. He remains popular with the majority of Americans dispite the daily Obama bashing from the right. He is the answer. Nuff said.

Anonymous said...

"He is the answer."

Kinda Like Hitler, Huh?

Bryan Fykes said...

If he is the answer... then the question must have been "can anyone remake this country into a socialist state?" the problem is... we were only told that he was the answer, and were never allowed to question him. and we still aren't allowed to.

Anonymous said...

This guy (Hanson, not Obaba) is good. Who is he?

Anonymous said...

11:45 You do know Camp David was Bush's choice of church,also.

Anonymous said...

Mr./Ms. 1:48 -


Victor Davis Hanson is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow in Residence in Classics and Military History at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, a professor of Classics Emeritus at California State University, Fresno, and a nationally syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services. He is also the Wayne & Marcia Buske Distinguished Fellow in History, Hillsdale College, where he teaches each fall semester courses in military history and classical culture.

Hanson was educated at the University of California, Santa Cruz (BA, Classics, 1975, ‘highest honors’ Classics, ‘college honors’, Cowell College), the American School of Classical Studies, Athens (regular member, 1978-79) and received his Ph.D. in Classics from Stanford University in 1980. He divides his time between his forty-acre tree and vine farm near Selma, California, where he was born in 1953, and the Stanford campus.

Chimera said...

If he is the "answer" what the hell was the question?

TheQuestion said...

Don't you people get it? Change! Change! Change! Change! Change! Change! Change! Change! Change!

We won!

Now, use the tools of goverment to create more social parasites who will vote for us. The MSM are our idealogical brethren so they won't challenge anything we do. The American people have the attention span of a gnat so they can be distracted pretty easily by the state-run media (i.e. MSM) while we take over the health care, banking, and auto industries and create an oligarchy that will enrich ourselves and our friends.

Anonymous said...

totmom:

<3