I wish I had some sense of what President Obama believes and why he supports

[ellennelle]

134. consider what he was thrown into

(up front apology for the length; waiting for my car AC to get repaired.)

let's not forget here, obama is a deeply progressive liberal in his personal principles, but - this is important - he is also deeply aware that he is a president of ALL the people, not just king of the dems.

he canNOT do what bush wanted to do - and often did - and impose his will.

all to his credit.

so, consider all the various pressures and demands that he has encountered since he was thrown into... all this.

now, consider the larger than even the over-the-top RWN tea bagger belligerent republican hatred and obstruction he faces on a daily basis; consider the military-industrial-intelligence complex.

this behemoth is beyond enormous; it rules the world. literally. make no mistake. i'll guess he had his suspicions when he ran, but i'll also guess he had no earthly clue just HOW HUGE and dominant and corrupt and unconstitutional all that has become, much of it in the past decade.

so what he's left with is this: how do i navigate it all? how do i stand up to my duty and lead us in the best steps we can hope for, steps that lead to ultimate success?

which is where the 11 dimensional chess mind comes in.

which is where i most certainly am not.

but i know how anyone in that situation should navigate it all: with tremendously delicate and finely toned surgical care. most certainly not by stampeding in on a white horse and taking no prisoners (see bush). because at risk is killing the patient.

take the environmental piece as just one example. do you really think it's so simple as to just do what we all wish were possible right now, that he could just wave his magic negro wand and make all the oil companies pay zenormous fines to convert the world to renewables, and we can then all grow flowers and romp with the lions and lambs since we'll all be vegan and no one will ever be sad again. (at this juncture, i have to recommend you visit the one and only tbogg for this pearl of wisdom.) i do not use the magic negro phrase lightly; obama knew far better than any of us the venom that awaited him the minute he threw is hat in the ring, and it's only become more venomous since he won. you all know the history; how does anyone navigate that, much less lead?? but consider this as well: what if he were to do just that? what then? you think it would be met with universal support? do you honestly think dictating comprehensive environmental reform would not result in a backlash from hell? at the very least - the very least - the industrial powers-that-be would dump more money than gawd into defeating every democrat for the forseeable future, bar none, even more than ever before. not that every one of them would be met with success, but think about that. this is the saddest truth about how far our country has slid into corruption and vice (and i would say, fascism, given that mussolini defined the term as synonymous with "corporatism&quot . and obama must recognize this as reality.

another scenario, ACA. remember how eagerly obama went for the passing of this bill, even sacrificing numbers of progressive demands, like the public option (forget about single payer, as rahm ditched that from the get-go; so glad he's gone and tanking)? what he always knew was that simply something had to be passed as a basic foundation upon which greater changes could be made in the future. this is actually the way social security happened, gradually, not all at once. and he has to know this is another one republicans will fight to the death, because they have ALWAYS known that each and every government program that serves the safety net is forever remembered with the gratitude of votes. the post FDR republicans watched this happen, and have fought it ever since. obama knows this, he knows it's better to make the lives of americans a little better is not only just good will, it's also good politics, something that ties the opposition in so many knots they fight it all like hell.

and then there's this surveillance piece, something we've all really known about for years. so consider this: what pres. obama is faced with when he's briefed on all this by the MILITARY THAT CONTROLS THE WORLD are the threats that if he does NOT continue with their programs, americans will die. there is this terrorist plan and that plot and this risk and that suspicion and this intelligence and that analysis, and on and on.

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE IF CONFRONTED WITH THESE OPTIONS? WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO LET AMERICANS DIE? ON PRINCIPLE?

do you let americans die? makes a nice license plate for NH, but frankly, it only applies to the one with the option in his or her hands for his or her own life. you simply cannot expect any president to make that choice for innocent americans in order to keep his principles in tact. life is, after all, the first unalienable right listed in the Declaration.

it seems to me that too many here are too quick (and i suspect, too young to remember much) to judge in this greenwald mold. don't get me wrong, i admire and respect a great deal of his work. however, he is not squeaky clean himself, and who among us can cast the first stone? after all, we each and every one make compromises each and every day, in our relationships with family, friends, community, work, you name it.

HOW CAN ANYONE THEREFORE TRULY EXPECT THIS MAN TO GOVERN WITHOUT MAKING ANY COMPROMISES???

the name of the governing game is compromise, pure and simple. otherwise, you govern like that faction of rump republicans who take it as a badge of honor to never compromise. where's that at?

compromise seems to be the way good bills move through the system, gradually. unlike very bad bills, like bush's PATRIOT act and his medical bill that created the donut hole, the gift to the pharmaceutical industry; both rammed thru under the shadiest of circumstances.

in general, managing such things, including the military and industrial powers, is a matter first of being able to sense how much gas to apply, when to brake and how much, when to clutch. at every turn, you have to consider so many plates spinning in the air, and each one of them is loaded with potential disaster. it's all become so damn tricky, it literally boggles my mind.

so consider all these things, and consider who out there you would trust to do a better job. and before you jump to a conclusion, consider further:
anyone else might not have this man's intelligence, knowledge, caring and humility (yes, he did do community service in chicago, and wore shoes with holes in the soles), principles, cunning (a good thing ultimately on our side), and yes both idealism and realism.
yes, the man is both idealistic and realistic, in ways not dissimilar to MLK, jr. and he knows, much as king did, that his own dreams will not be realized in his tenure. he sees the writing on this outrageous republican wall of obstruction telling him his only prayer is to take baby steps, and make sure he does not sabotage the future for is party. this party is also corrupt, but please people, get real; this is the only consequential choice we have now, between dems and republicans. so which one do you trust to get us closer to those goals? really? are you willing to do anything to sabotage those chances?
and who would you choose now to do a better job under these outrageous circumstances? someone more like bush? he's our go-to man if - like glenn greenwald - you believe a leader should never under any circumstances compromise in order to move the process along, however halting, toward the larger greater goal? if you're demanding that obama adhere rigidly to most everything he said during his life, or even just his campaigns, then i suggest you opt for the mywayorthehiway mentality of bush, cheney, and the thousands of like-minded jackboots who are now running our country down the toilet under the name of republicans.
the president is NOT and never has been or will be king. obama canNOT dictate what he wants, and sure not what we want.
so, careful what you wish for.

if you really listen to this man carefully, at every turn, on every issue, he has alwaysalwaysALWAYS encouraged, beseeched, and begged the american people to make their voices heard.

it is true this system is deaf, but it is still possible to get the attention of the deaf.

it requires that we be steadfast and clever and patient yet persevering.

when you feel you might despair that the forces are all overpowering us and we're doomed, just consider...

what this black man of unique life and exquisite character and profound fate faces in each and every moment.