On
This Week with George Stephanopoulos yesterday, Barack Obama revealed his strategy and true colors more clearly than ever:
- Side publicly with Republicans at every opportunity: half of Obama's responses began, "I agree with President Bush..." or "I agree with Senators Specter and McCain..."
- Openly attack Democrats when they don't win Republican support or when their message isn't carried in the media.
- Secretly oppose Democratic efforts at opposition: Obama weaseled away with a non-denial when Stephanopoulis revealed that in caucus, Obama fought with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid against the Alito filibuster instead of supporting him. And on This Week, Obama insisted that those discussions remain secret!
- Publicly side with the Democrats only once you've made sure your vote won't matter.
- Never, ever raise key issues like Iraq or Impeachment - and when confronted directly on them by a comedian on a comedy show, brush it off with a dishonest joke.
And above all,
- Never act like you're part of an opposition party.
Obama even signaled that he will do what he can in the Senate to change the law and make Bush's warrantless wiretaps legal! (TWwGS transcripts are welcome on this.)
Perhaps Obama's most egregiously galling bit of hypocrisy is here:
"The Democrats have to do a much better job in making their case on these issues," Obama said Sunday on ABC News' "This Week." "These last-minute efforts - using procedural maneuvers inside the Beltway - I think has been the wrong way of going about it."
So of course I wondered, Why haven't I heard excerpts from a rousing floor speech opposing Alito by Obama, the party's most gifted speaker, days or weeks ago? Why couldn't Kennedy, Kerry and Feingold have followed his example, educating the public about the danger of Alito in time to make a difference? Was it the lazy, biased right wing media?
But of course, the answer is he never gave it. This Thursday, January 26th when the debate was done and the filibuster he secretly opposed was already beginning, Obama did give a floor speech on Alito. It made some good points, but it included enough praise for Alito to fill a Republican TV spot - "intelligent man and an accomplished jurist ... a man of great character" - without ever using the word "oppose" or even committing to vote against Alito's nomination! (Of course, no mention of cloture or filibuster - just "I hope he proves me wrong.")
As the party's shiniest new star and heir apparent - and as the person who agrees with Bush that the best government is conducted in secret - I nominate Barack Obama as the Senator quietly most responsible for the failure of today's noble efforts to defend the Constitution.
When you're done being thrilled that Obama lets us claim to have a racially integrated Senate, face the fact that he's now to the right of Hillary - all but silent on Iraq, torture, and impeachment - and arguably, halfway to being the next Lieberman.
It's not right to target just Barack - he's pretty much like Hill, "real deal" Joe, Joementum, droopy Harry, Pe-lose-i and others who can't oppose Republicans or side with the popular majority on Iraq or Impeachment. It just strikes me as slightly racist when people assume Obama should get a pass.