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Obama’s Shift to the Center |
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by Desi Shiran
Coastal Journal contributor
Some are critical of Obama because he says that visiting Iraq, consulting with Generals and troops on the ground might influence his opinions. Would it be better if he stated that no facts, and no opinion, no matter how well-informed, will ever cause him to modify his position on Iraq? Do we really want a leader with the mindset, "I've said what I said and that settles it once and for all."? Obama prefers a timetable for troop withdrawal. That preference puts him at odds with the Republican establishment that equates a timetable with surrender.
A timetable is where Obama stands, but to state on the eve of an Iraq visit that this withdrawal plan is immutable and untouchable no matter what, well, that's not leadership, that's foolishness. We already have a President whose view of the world, even after seven years in office, remains reality-free. We don't need another brickhead, even one from the other side of the spectrum. Indeed, there's all this talk of the duplicity implied in Obama's “moving towards the center.” I really don't think voters much care if a candidate moves to the center or not, but whether he uses his brain.
Over the next eight years, what will happen with Social Security, health care, education and national defense? A candidate who cares about solutions will not lose sleep over the ideological purity of his proposals, but whether they can garner sufficient votes to be embraced, whether the solutions are broad and attractive enough to cut through our current red state/blue state impasse.
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