Reply #79: I understand your position and the reasoning behind it, Nance; however, there is a large

[bertman]

problem with the idea that President Obama should not do anything to energize the Republican base, which you say is splintering. The problem is that it's not the issue of BushCo's guilt or innocence that will keep our new President from being re-elected no matter how hard the MSM try to portray a Special Prosecutor's investigation as a "witch hunt" or "revenge-seeking".

The biggest threat to his re-election is the one that is STILL being ignored by him and by our Democratic leadership. That threat is the same threat that got Bush elected in '00 and re-elected in '04. We know that the voting machine issue is the single biggest threat to our democracy, yet our Democratic leaders act as if they'll contract a deadly rash if they so much as talk about it.

For my money, President Obama could make himself the most popular President in American history simply by following through on his goals of re-energizing the American economy through programs that benefit the planet (green projects) and that bring jobs to America; by pushing through a truly universally-available and affordable health care plan (I won't debate which one I support here); by bringing most of our troops back from Iraq on his timetable; by charting a course in Afghanistan that shows progress in stabilizing that nation and its neighbor, Pakistan; and by continuing to be open and mostly transparent in his agenda. If he does that he will be unbeatable at the polls even if war crimes trials are being held for BushCo. But, of course, being the President most Americans want does not necessarily translate into having that President elected--or re-elected, as the case may be.

Leadership is being willing to take risks that lead to success. Your plan is the typical Democratic response to tough times: be ultra-careful, try not to step on important toes, don't offend anyone, keep the powder dry, don't rock the boat too much. These are times that demand a leader who is willing to stand up for the most important values of our country, especially our rights under the Constitution and our obligations under international treaties that we had lived up to for generations until the Bush Crime Family nullified both. President Obama must stand up for those rights now or he will become overwhelmed with other crises and national and international demands that will push the war crimes to the back burner, then off the stove altogether.