The Decider Versus The Great Capitulator

While I deplore what he accomplished, there can be no argument that George W. Bush got things done as president. The results were 4,400 Americans and at least 125,000 Iraqis dead thanks to an unprovoked war of choice, an economic meltdown due to Wall Street foxes being allowed to guard the henhouse, a surplus turned into a massive deficit largely due to tax cuts for the rich, environmental rape and the shredding of the Constitution and subsequent loss of civil and human rights.

But Bush, the self-proclaimed "decider"  who has been defiantly defending his policies this week as he promotes his book, believed in things and accomplished them: tax cuts for the rich, less government regulation, an imperial presidency. When he and the master puppeter Dick Cheney decided to do something, they didn't worry about being bipartisan or about the polls, they did it. They operated from a position of strength.

By contrast, Barack Obama, who I call the "The Great Capitulator" has displayed nothing but weakness since taking office. Unlike many liberals, I had low expectations for Obama who, to his credit, campaigned as a centrist and has governed as one. But those who operate in the middle of the road get crushed as last week's Republican landslide in the midterms illustrates.

Sure, Obama was left a colossal mess by Bush, but where was the boldness of the guy who wrote a book titled "The Audacity of Hope"? Instead of trying for a $2 trillion or $3 trillion stimulus during his brief honeymoon when he had political capital, he listened to his ex-Clinton D.C. beltway advisors and settled for a too small $800 billion stimulus which didn't create or retain enough jobs to reduce unemployment and led to the midterm massacre.

As reprehensible as invading Iraq was, it was a bold move by Bush. The kind of boldness it would've taken Obama to de-escalate the Afghanistan War which anyone with any common sense can see is a quagmire destined to drain us of blood and treasure for years to come. Instead Obama escalated the war while making a nonsensical promise to begin withdrawing troops in July of 2011, a pledge his administration and the military are rapidly retreating from.

And now comes word that Obama will give in on his pledge to let the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans expire while his deficit commission calls for cuts in Medicare and Social Security and more tax cuts for the rich. This on the heels of an embarrassing 60 Minutes interview Sunday when Obama spoke of compromising with Republicans. As if after their success in obstructionism  for the last 21 months, there is any reason for them to compromise with Obama. This is a guy who they know can be rolled because he has no backbone.

 I suspect Obama will be a one-term president and have no one to blame, but himself. If you're going to go down, at least go down fighting for something you believe in. Sadly, Bush understands that more than Obama ever will.