Is Obama Getting 'Colin-ized'?
Gandalf Grey
By Robert Parry
Created Jun 24 2007 - 11:20am
Sen. Barack Obama's decision to seek foreign policy advice from former
Secretary of State Colin Powell has boosted the Democratic presidential
hopeful in the eyes of Washington's insider crowd, but the move suggests
that Obama is positioning himself as a conciliator rather than a battler,
which may unnerve the party's "base."
Powell remains a beloved figure among Washington pundits and journalists
despite his controversial role in selling the Iraq invasion with a deceptive
speech to the United Nations. Many insiders forgive Powell that
transgression, in part, because they also clambered aboard the Iraq War
bandwagon in 2003.
But many rank-and-file Democrats view Powell as less a hero than a rank
opportunist, less the "good soldier" of his press clippings than a dangerous
phony who has placed his career and reputation - time and again - ahead of
the lives of American troops and the good of the country.
Many Democrats also remember bitterly the elections of 2002 and 2004 when
national Democrats counseled the need to avoid confrontations with President
George W. Bush over foreign policy, even as he and other Republicans bashed
Democrats as unconcerned about national security and soft on terror.
At the 2004 Democratic Convention, party leaders even excised criticism of
Bush from many speeches to avoid accusations that the Democrats were holding
a "Bush hate-fest." Obama, who gave the keynote address, went with the flow,
stressing a hopeful message that did not mention Bush by name nor explain
why he should be defeated.
The result of all this punch-less oratory was a "bounce-less" convention.
Democratic nominee John Kerry gained no ground in opinion polls.
By contrast, the Republicans used their convention to batter Kerry in highly
personal attacks, including a fierce keynote address by disaffected
Democratic Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia. Some GOP delegates even wore Purple
Heart Band-Aids to mock the severity of Kerry's war wounds in Vietnam.
The post-convention bounce for Bush was about 10 percentage points as he
built a commanding early lead. The race only tightened toward the end when
Kerry somewhat sharpened his criticism of the President.
After Bush prevailed again, the fury of the Democratic base finally forced
the party leadership into a more combative style. In Election 2006, they
stepped up attacks on the Iraq War and Bush's imperial style - often over
objections of Democratic consultants who again wanted to focus on domestic
issues.
The result of the harder-edged campaign in 2006 was a surprising Democratic
sweep of both the House and Senate.
Retreat on Iraq
Since then, however, the congressional Democrats have again listened to the
consultants and drifted back into an avoidance of hard-fought confrontations
with Bush over the Iraq War and the "war on terror."
Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other party leaders vowed they would
never again give Bush a blank check on the Iraq War, key Democrats,
including Sens. Carl Levin [1] and Barack Obama, started running up the
white flag even as the legislative battle was beginning, by saying Democrats
would never let the troops go without funding.
That concession signaled to Bush that he could simply keep vetoing troop
withdrawal plans until the Democrats folded. As the Democrats eyed their
Memorial Day recess - and feared that Bush would use the holiday to bash
them as anti-troop - the surrender became official with the approval of
another $100 billion blank check for Bush.
Obama hesitantly did join with the 29 Democrats who opposed the war funding
bill - along with his chief rival Hillary Clinton - but neither Obama nor
Clinton took the lead in the legislative battle.
More generally, Obama appears to have opted for a campaign strategy in which
he will float above the partisan fray rather than jump into the trenches.
His decision to seek the counsel of Colin Powell - a move leaked by the
Obama campaign and confirmed by Powell on NBC's "Meet the Press" - suggests
that the Illinois senator is hoping Powell's "gravitas" inside Washington
might rub off. Powell also retains popularity with many centrist Americans
despite his Iraq War role.
But the Obama-Powell alliance may mean, too, that Obama won't press very
hard for an end of the Iraq War since Powell's current position is that the
United States can't afford to withdraw despite the many errors in
implementing the war strategy.
Much of the Democratic base, however, is sick of attempts by Democratic
leaders to build alliances with "moderate" Republicans when that always
seems to end up letting Bush continue his Iraq War and "war on terror"
policies, no matter how harmful they may be.
The base wants to see a fight for both the principles of the American
Republic and for political victory. Instead of seeking more accommodation
and fuzzy centrism, many are putting up lawn signs that read, "Impeach Him."
Bobby or Martin
In short, rank-and-file Democrats appear to be looking for a Bobby Kennedy
or a Martin Luther King Jr., someone who will inspire and fight, not just
aspire to be a well-liked consensus builder.
Obama, who benefited early on as both a political phenomenon and an
alternative to a Clinton restoration, now appears stuck in the doldrums of
the 20s in opinion polls, falling farther behind Sen. Clinton.
He may see his flirtation with Colin Powell as a way to burnish his
mainstream credentials and add some establishment ballast to his campaign.
But he also may discover that the relationship comes with a price.
Many well-informed Democrats know that Powell had many chances to speak up -
or even resign - rather than acquiesce to or collaborate with Bush's
policies. Indeed, Powell may have been one of a small number of people whose
timely opposition could have prevented the Iraq War. Or, Powell might have
blocked a Bush second term if he had quit the administration before Election
2004, rather than wait to be forced out by Bush afterwards.
At Consortiumnews.com, our series "Behind Colin Powell's Legend [2]" traced
Powell's pattern of career opportunism back to his days as a young officer
in the Vietnam War where he helped cover up atrocities against Vietnamese
civilians, including actions by the Americal Division that encompassed the
My Lai massacre.
This pattern continued as he rose through the military-political ranks,
playing a key behind-the-scenes role in the Iran-Contra Affair. But he
always managed to emerge from these scrapes with scandal by collecting more
chits with the powerbrokers he served while also charming Washington's media
elite.
[We are including a chapter on Powell's real biography in our upcoming book,
Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush.]
Now, Obama, as one of the first African-American presidential contenders,
must decide who he'd rather emulate, Rev. King or Gen. Powell. He also must
settle on what kind of a candidate he intends to be, a fighter or a
finesser.
Meanwhile, the Democratic base must decide if any of the current pack of
Democratic contenders has the right stuff for the nasty battles ahead.
_______
About author Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s
for the Associated Press and Newsweek. His latest book, Secrecy & Privilege:
Rise of the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq, can be ordered at
secrecyandprivilege.com [3]. It's also available at Amazon.com [4], as is
his 1999 book, Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth.'
Robert Parry's web site is Consortium News [5]
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"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson