The Heartbreak of Premature Capitulation

[somone]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-winship/the-heartbreak-of-prematu_b_793804.html

The Heartbreak of Premature Capitulation
Michael Winship

There's this old joke about the French Revolution. A group of prisoners is lined up before the guillotine. One by one, their heads are lopped off. Then, the next man is put in place. The lever is pulled, but the blade stops just inches above his neck. This must be a sign of divine intervention, the judge in charge declares, and the man is freed.

The same thing happens to the next prisoner, and the next and the next. Finally, as the very last man is prepared for execution, he looks up at the mechanism and exclaims, "Wait! I think I see your problem!"

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you President Barack Obama, providing needless aid and comfort to those who would do him wrong, handing over his own head without a fight, afflicted with a curious syndrome we men of science have decided to call Premature Capitulation.

Backing away from myriad campaign promises, giving in to health care, economic stimulus and financial reform compromises -- in some ways these were par for the course, the unfortunate price of governing and politics in a polarized America. But in the few weeks since the midterm elections, the affliction of Premature Capitulation has become more and more endemic, whether it's dissembling on our policy in Afghanistan or backing away from a moratorium on settlement building in the West Bank, announcing a Federal workers' wage freeze (which would have been appropriate for the higher ranking civil servants but is pandering to the right and downright cruel to those government employees who barely make enough to live on) or the continued kowtow to the moneyed interests who, if they pat him on the back, do so only to find the place to insert their knives...

[polichick]

1. k&r - both for the title and the content. nt

[bemildred]

2. LOL.

Nice pun.

[Doctor_J]

3. And the biggest disappointment, as I have posted before,

is that the electorate was quite clear in 2008 that they didn't want Boner and Turtleman calling the shots. The Bush doctrine was resoundingly rejected, so there was absolutely no reason to give any merit to its proponents. Yet that's just what the president has done, for two years.

[Joanne98]

4. LOL

[saorsa]

5. Great article

thanks for posting! ! You can also find it on commondreams.org