Is Barack Running for Bush's 3rd Term?
- Posted by Justin Higgins on June 30th, 2008 in
One of the big talking points of this campaign is that John McCain is simply "running for George Bush's third term", saying that he will continue to represent the same people and push the same policies. Conservatives surely know that John McCain is a very different politician that George W. Bush but Barack and his campaign keep pushing the line, as do various Democrat outlets across the nation. What does this story do to that talking point?:
In defiance of traditional party labels, Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, may ask the defence secretary of President George W Bush to stay on if he wins the White House.
Obama’s top foreign policy and national security advisers are pressing the case for keeping Robert Gates at the Pentagon after he won widespread praise for his performance. The move would be in keeping with Obama’s desire to appoint a cabinet of all the talents…
Richard Danzig, an adviser to Obama on national security and a former navy secretary, said: “My personal position is Gates is a very good secretary of defence and would be an even better one in an Obama administration.”…
Gates recently said Obama and John McCain, his Republican rival, were likely to take a “sensible approach” to Iraq because “the next president would suffer the greatest consequences if we do get the endgame wrong”. Retaining Gates would give Obama “cover” for adjusting his policy if necessary, while reassuring Republicans that withdrawing from Iraq would not imperil national security.
The last bit about political cover for changing the winning strategy in Iraq probably best explains Obama's motivations, but the entire story still presents a problem to the Obama strategy. Is he aiming for compromise with the Republican ideals that have been put in place over the past decade or so or is he aiming for "pure change" from what's been happening? As far as I know, he's selling himself as both of those things. Is Barack Obama the liberal Messiah or is he just running for Bush's third term?
Well, it worked for Bill Clinton
"Is he aiming for compromise with the Republican ideals that have been put in place over the past decade..."
If by 'republican ideals' you mean center-right thinking, well yeah. He wants to be president and no true liberal, in terms of economics or militarily, would ever get close to being the contender in either party (socially liberal is allowed). Soon as you swallow that cold, hard fact of American Real Politik, the better you'll be. You can leave all this 'liberal messiah' stuff behind and relax with your W.o.W.
Bill Clinton? Subtract the getting caught with his g-unit in a fat girl's mouth, he's the most successful repulican president of the 20th century.
Obama? Marks these words, he gets in, he'll lose all those starry-eyed followers, liberals looking for the chosen one, all those assholes looking for 'a change'. Any of them paying attention might figure out that Obama was just more of the same. Pro-Corporations, pro-unregulated capitalism, pro-bomb the hell outta' whoever, whenever, pro-rich. Obama's triangulation during his first term will make Bubba look like Eugene Debs.