Cenk's upset over Obama's apparent kowtowing to Netanyahu contains many good and important statements, of which I cannot disagree. But is Cenk missing Obama's strategy and goal. And does this strategy lay the shortest path toward the goal shared by Cenk and Obama, and many of us who read Daily Kos each day?
I like Cenk.... I have watched his "The Young Turks" show many, many times over the years. I think Cenk is bright, informed and often spot on. I would really like him to be given the opportunity to have a larger audience by getting a TV show. This will hopefully happen soon. While Cenk has had his complaints about Obama, and did bang on Obama pretty hard a few months ago about the public option for the Health Care Bill not being supported by the White House, he was a always a strong supporter of obama during and right after the election. And I basically share Cenk's views on most things. But Cenk is getting more and more irritated with Obama not taking stronger, riskier positions on a number of important progressive issues. And Obama's immediate support of Israeli after the raid, has now really upset Cenk.
In this case, as in the public option issue....I believe Cenk is making strong and valid points....but he may be missing another even bigger point.
I believe that Obama agrees with Cenk on what is right and what is wrong about what happened. Really they are essentially on the same page on most issues. What is driving Cenk to criticize obama so much on some of these issues, is that he feels Obama is backing away from what Obama knows is right, that Obama is "chickensh_t" in some casees, as distinct from Cenk actually thinking that Obama disagrees with Cenk in principle.
I believe that Obama has a pretty keen ability to know what he can do and what he can not. He knows pretty well what his opposition's strength is. He has numerous times taken a more conservative course on important "left/progressive" issues. And Cenk ,The young Turks, Jane Hamshire of Firedoglake, Huffington Post or Daily Kos (amongst others) have from time to time, pounced on Obama over these. And while it can be argued that he has been timid on some issues...it is also certain is that Obama is getting done an enormous amount accomplished...a lot of change; new bills, new national goals, new policies and these are changes moving our country left of the extreme movement to the right under Bush (ask any Republican or Tea Bagger:....these are "left wing, commie, pinko, socialist, extreme left changes".)
On highly sensitive society-splitting issues, Obama does often take what he thinks is the best most aggressive course that he thinks is actually do-able....rather than what he ideally believes is right. Is this wrong? That is the question. To me, Obama decided at the start of his Presidency, that he wasn't going to make the mistakes that Clinton did on health care, immigration and some other important issues. He wasn't going to spend, invest, use up vast amounts of his time and his political credit charging righteously down some paths that he could see was going to end in failure.
Many want him to take up the call of their group's key issue, take the boldest steps, and go down fighting for the ideal....rather than set a lower goal or less aggressive target and actually accomplishing it. But Obama is not doing that. He determines early (sometimes making mid course corrections based on feedback) that which he thinks can be actually accomplished, can actually be successfully fought for and eventually accepted by those with the power to make or break things...congress and the voting public...and put into law.
Cenk is Turkish-American, so this is rightfully...a highly sensitive issue for him....and it should be. And he is right to stand up for what is horrific about the Israeli raid. And there is much to abhor...including, and most importantly... the calous loss of innocent lives. I feel all of Cenk's points are valid...(regardless of anyone's nationality or ethnic/religious background). I really don't argue with him. Where we part ways...is that I think Obama also agrees with him.....and would do exactly what Cenk says...if he actually thought that that was the best and surest way to get to the goals that he and Cenk (and I) share.....a Palestinian state side by side with Israel, that is prosperous..independent and at peace with its neighbor.
So why is Obama being nice to Israel, when Israel has just done something so wrong? I am sure Obama see's the issues in the same light as Cenk. But...in the big picture...focusing on the big goal...Obama see's being accused of cozying up to Israel as is being promoted in various international and domestic left wing circles as a benefit.
Leading up to this incident, this White House and this President ...have been continually castigated by the Republicans Party, Tea Partiers and most right wing press and news media....as being anti Israel.....being disrespectful of Netanyahu....being pro Palestinian and pro Muslim. He is having a terrible time of getting anything done because he is accused of breaking from the Bush era of tacit disapproval of some of Israeli's actions while Bush privately, fully supported anything Israel wanted to do. Bush and team were the real puppets, historically. After initially pushing Netanyahu hard to move into peace talks...and getting nowhere... over the past few months Obama has been going to many lengths to mend bridges with Netanyahu and the israeli govt...because Obama knows he is perceived as being anti Israel by the right wing in America, the Israel lobbyists and the Israeli govt. and Obama perceives accurately that he needs to gain some trust with Israeli and its hard core sympathizers..... or he simply will fail at any and all efforts he, Hillary and Mitchel make toward opening peace talks again.
So...we must see this current event, the Israeli raid debacle, in the context of current perceptions by the key political players involved.
Obama's goal is to get Israel and Palestinian Authority to move forward with a comprehensive agreement to cease hostilities, find a way to share East Jerusalem, terminate the blockade of Gaza, weaken Hamas, and normalize relations. He is trying to be the President that actually ushers in the birth of the Palestinian State. And that I believe, is also Cenk's goal.
My question to Cenk is this... Do you really think that if the US hammered Israel over this obvious misuse of power and self inflicted world outrage...or even if Obama just started blowing a little more air behind the already hurricane level winds of international rebuke being leveled at Israel..... generating more hate and volume from the Palestinian side against Israel... that this is going to lead faster to finalizing peace talks...getting both sides to the table and then actually coming into trust together and signing real agreements that change the lives of millions of Palestinians and Israelis and citizens through out the Middle East.......Or..... does it make sense for Obama, knowing full well that Netanyahu has made a huge screw up....to use this as an opportunity to: A. gain Israeli trust...show we stand by them thru good and, in this case, very bad times...and then push Israeli into talks with Abbas of PA....come to an agreement with the PA ....thereby forcing Hamas's hand to eventually capitulate and follow the PA into an agreement with Israel. That is what I would ask Cenk.... which is the better, shorter and more certain path toward that shared goal?
My sense is that while Obama was having a terrible time over the past year trying to force Israel to move forward...with Netanyahu clearly disdaining, embarrassing and often ignoring Obama.... that after this incident, and how Obama is handling it, it will be much easier for Obama to shepherd Netanyahu into serious ground breaking agreements with the PA.
We'll see. But to me it is quite apparent that Obama is trying to minimize the rhetoric on both sides...quiet things down....to provide an environment where both sides will compromise and get done what has been tried but hasn't been accomplished by the last 6 presidents. This Israeli raid has made that more difficult. But I think Obama is trying to turn this stupid, draconian, tragic and bull headed incident by Israel...into an opportunity to move the peace process forward with long term impacts that will change the world...rather than relish in joining into the world's rebuke of Israel which is probably helping inflame Palestinian hatred and Israeli knee jerk intransigence...with little hope to actually move toward peace agreements.
And I thank Cenk for being bold, true and strong about his core values, which are always refreshing and helpful.