GOP Pants-Wetting Over Obama's Sensible Counter-Terrorism Strategy
Harry Hope
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/144866/gop_pants-wetting_over_obama's_sensible_counter-terrorism_strategy/
December 30, 2009
GOP Pants-Wetting Over Obama's Sensible Counter-Terrorism Strategy
by Steve Benen
Ideally, Americans would see through the baseless condemnations of the
White House, and recognize them for what they are:
petty and stupid.
I have no idea if Republicans' insane attacks against President Obama
on counter-terrorism are going to have an effect.
The daily tracking polls haven't shown much of a shift as of yet, but
much of the public is enjoying the holiday season and may not be fully
engaged in the GOP talking points of the day.
Ideally, Americans would see through the baseless condemnations of the
White House, and recognize them for what they are:
petty and stupid.
But if public attitudes actually start to shift, and wrong-but-loud
criticism undermines confidence in the administration's national
security policies, there is an alternative strategy available.
Up until now, the president has chosen a mature, sensible, and
effective approach to counter-terrorism.
Marc Ambinder had an item over the weekend about the deliberate White
House strategy in response to the failed Abdulmutallab plot.
http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/12/why_obamas_golfing.php
Here's the theory:
a two-bit mook is sent by Al Qaeda to do a dastardly deed.
He winds up neutering himself.
Literally.
Authorities respond appropriately; the President (as this president is
want to do) presides over the federal response.
His senior aides speak for him, letting reporters know that he's
videoconferencing regularly, that he's ordering a review of terrorist
watch lists, that he's discoursing with his Secretary of Homeland
Security.
But an in-person Obama statement isn't needed;
Indeed, a message expressing command, control, outrage and anger might
elevate the importance of the deed, would generate panic (because
Obama usually DOESN'T talk about the specifics of cases like this, and
so him deciding to do so would cue the American people to respond in a
way that exacerbates the situation. [...]
Let the authorities do their work.
Don't presume;
don't panic the country;
don't chest-thump, prejudge, interfere, politicize (in an
international sense),
don't give Al Qaeda (or whomever) a symbolic victory;
resist the urge to open the old playbook and run a familiar play.
Republicans didn't care for that approach, and preferred a collective
display of pants-wetting.
GOP voices and the media decided the strategy to deny terrorists a
p.r. victory wasn't good enough.
This was a time for partisan grandstanding, not mature leadership.
Again, maybe Americans will find the president's approach compelling.
They should.
But at this point, it seems pretty obvious that the president acting
like a grown-up is going over the political world's head.
There's apparently an expectation that the president can -- and
probably should -- exploit incidents for as much political gain as
possible.
So, for example, when U.S. forces, acting on the president's orders,
successfully took out Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan,
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/world/africa/15raid.html?_r=1 the
ringleader of a Qaeda cell in Kenya and one of the most wanted Islamic
militants in Africa, the president should appear before the cameras
and explain, "Hey, look at me! I took out one of the world's most
dangerous terrorists!"
When U.S. forces, acting on the president's orders, killed Baitullah
Mehsud, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/08/world/asia/08pstan.html the
terrorist leader of the Taliban movement Pakistan, Obama should
assemble reporters to declare, "Booyah! Who's da man?"
When the Obama administration took suspected terrorists Najibullah
Zazi, Talib Islam, and Hosam Maher Husein Smadi into custody
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020116.php
before they could launch their planned attacks, each and every
instance requires its own press conference, in which the president can
proclaim, "Republicans' talk is cheap; I'm the one keeping Americans
safe."
The president, by all appearances, finds such shameless politicization
of counter-terrorism offensive.
And it is.
But Republicans are running an aggressive misinformation scheme, and
if it's effective, the White House may need to reconsider whether the
public rewards or punishes leaders who act like grown-ups.
____________________________________________________
Suck it up and get over it, RePIGs, you lost and you ain't comin'
back.
Harry
John Q Public
Its been yer ballgame nigh on a year now and best your boy could do was
blame it on Bush!
Yep it never ends, blame his predecessor.
Napolitano, his appointee is a dumbshit who contradicts herself in the
course of
24 hours then BO comes on with the blame game.
He's incompetent and she's incompetent, wanna bet he throws her under
the bus soon!