The anti-war 'wing'

I suppose there's some depth in this gross generalization within news analysis by Sam Youngman, The Hill's White House correspondent, but if so, the generalization does double duty in expressing modern progressivism's simplistically shallow view of the world as well; views which are, unfortunately, every bit as simplistic as those scoffed at on the right:  

The anti-war group MoveOn.org no longer strikes fear in the hearts of would-be Democratic candidates who claim national security as a strength, and the anti-war wing of the party has turned on a president it once viewed as an ally.

It is the independent clause that concerns especially. Virtually everyone to the left of Newt Gingrich is "anti-war," yet a small wing of -- let's face it -- small progressivism fancies itself more virtuous than others in its love of peace and opposition to slaughter; further, it is counterproductively loud; and what's more, it is profoundly confused, since this president in 2008 campaigned with unmistakable clarity on the need to intensify the struggle for an independent, if not friendly, Afghanistan. 

I can't say that I endorse the president's Afghanistan policy, although like Donald Trump's breathtaking decision to fire Gary Busey, I doubt my reservations keep Obama up at night. Yet I was certainly aware of his intentions during the campaign, and I've tolerated his announced persistence ever since.

In other words, there is nothing there to "turn on." Obama, being Obama, is merely and methodically going about this business as best he believes he should. And since he's demonstrated no incompetence whatsoever throughout the process (unlike you-know-who), I'm content to tolerate a policy with which I disagree a bit longer. Put in yet another and perhaps unfashionably old-fashioned way, I believe he's earned our trust.

For progressivism's "anti-war wing" to now distrust Obama is, to me, as much of a Betraeus to genuine presidential leadership as American Firsters were to Roosevelt, who also understood that in a complex world, peace isn't always an option.

Comments

[Dorothy Rissman]

p m, I too am not pleased with the build up in Afghan. I am hoping that Obama will truly bring home a significant number of troops--10,000 is not enough.

I have hopes that with bin Laden dead, he will begin to step up withdrawals.

Occasionally it concerns me when PBO refers to disagreeing with the military, but is unwilling to say no to them.

I knew he was going to do this, but I never imagined it would be in such a large fashion. This is just about the only area in which I have found myself disagreeing with the president.

[Cain S. LaTrans]

http://www.facebook.com/paolamayak?ref=ts#!/note.php?note_id=10150134547732370

We created that mess in Afghanistan. We created the Taliban and the Mujahadeen by arming the Radical Right Wing with the most advanced weapons on earh and allowed them to transform a secular country in which women could attend schools, universities and held governmental titles -to the country it is today.

We did this TO THEM.

[creolechild]

It's my hope that we will withdraw from the current military conflicts that we're engaged in and focus on issues which need to be solved here--before more damage is unleashed by elected officials who are determined to make their religious ideology the law of the land.

[daisy chakra]

I completely agree