What is the difference between Mr. Obama and Mr. Bush?
An increasing number of us recognize how similar Mr. Obama's policies, appointees and advisers are to those of Mr. Bush. Admittedly, in some cases they're better. In many cases they are identical or effectively so. In a number of cases, they are actually worse.
So in my anger at his support for Off-shore Drilling, I had the thought that Mr. Obama is like Mr. Bush except that Mr. Obama is wimp. When faced with the Exxon Valdez magnitude of the stupidity of his support for expanding Off-shore Drilling, he retreats. Mr. Obama can't even stay committed to his disastrous, corporatist, Republican ass-kissing, sellout policies. Pathetic right?
Wrong. It's not that simple. I wish it were. I wish Mr. Obama WAS a wimp. Unfortunately, it's worse than that, a lot worse.
Here's the key difference. Were Mr. Bush in office during this crisis, he would double down and say -
"Whoa we're losing a lot of oil because of this spill! We better start drilling faster to make up for it!"
But Mr. Obama let's remember, is an 11 dimension obviously a very smart strategist, like chess master. What does an 11 dimension chess master an intelligent stragist do when faced with a disaster? He retreats to fight another day. He waits for the people calm down. And when something else big comes up, or is made to come up, that deflects attention from his calamitous corporatist policies, he'll advance his Oily Knight again, right back into position.
Obama's not conceding off-shore drilling, he's just removing a lighting rod until the storm passes.
Here's what's really scary, as an 11 dimension chess master, you can count on Mr. Obama and his lieutenant Rahm, to plan out exactly what it will take to get their Oily Knight back into position.
David Axelrod himself said it's a temporary ban:
Speaking on US television, David Axelrod, White House senior adviser, declared that no company would be allowed to proceed with exploration in new areas off the US coast until an investigation into the cause of the disaster had been completed.
He said: "No additional drilling has been authorised and none will until we find out what happened... and whether there was something unique and preventable here."
h/t to brooklynbadboy for the quote and link
Mark Axelrod's words, they'll be back. The Obama Administration is attacking progressives, the middle-class and the Constitution on so many fronts, that they'll have no problem moving the Oily Knight back into position. The corporatist, Monsanto-loving, Wall Street-enabling Administration of Obama will win their game. And WE will lose, badly.
Take the poll and remember how you voted!
Update: It took me too long to realize how obviously like mocking my 11 dimensions reference was. Sorry about that. I think Obama and Rahm too are extremely intelligent and masterful strategists. That contributes to my sense of betrayal and outrage. They are too smart to be in the service of corporatism. It's killing us.