* The second test is ending the Iraq War. The latest reports are that Obama is being sucker-punched by the war's leading generals, primarily Gen. Petraeus and Iraq theater commander Gen. Ray Odierno, into considering a longer pullout than 16 months, with both a 19-month and a 23-month pullout being proposed for his consideration. Given that there are also credible reports that these generals and lower-ranking supporters are actively lobbying against a pullout--an act of insubordination against a commander in chief that borders on treason during wartime--Obama should fire these guys immediately and order a prompt pullout. Even 16 months is far too long to maintain the occupation. I'd suggest three months to get everyone home.
* Finally, Obama should recognize that the Afghanistan War is an unwinnable disaster that long ago morphed from a police action attempting to capture and destroy Al Qaeda's organization in that country into a war against the country's indigenous political/military force, the Taliban, which was never a threat to the US, and which cannot be defeated, no matter how many resources the US throws into the fight. He should call a halt to this fiasco before he owns it, order UN-sponsored regional peace talks among the conflicting parties within and around Afghanistan, and pull all US forces out of that nation as fast as the planes can carry them.
At that point, Obama will have won the passionate support of his base, and the grudging respect of conservatives in Congress. The remaining years of his presidency will inevitably be full of conflict, but he will be fighting his political battles from a position of strength. This will allow him to campaign forcefully for progressive House and Senate candidates in the 2010 off-year congressional elections, when he could win more seats and stronger control in the Senate.
Meanwhile, he should replace Gates at Defense, ideally with some liberal Republican senator from a Democratic state (I'd suggest one of the two women, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, who represent the state of Maine--a woman Secretary of Defense would be a great move), so that another Democrat could be appointed to the Senate. He could do the same thing with the Department of Health (another good place for a woman senator from Maine!). That would give the Democrats 61 seats in the Senate, assuming Al Franken finally gets named the winner in Minnesota.
The key thing is, no more nice guy. Obama needs to return to his roots and start acting like the Chicago pol that he began as. It's what his base wants, it's what the broad mass of the electorate wanted when they voted for him, and it's what the country needs.
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DAVE LINDORFF is a Philadelphia-based journalist and columnist. His latest book is “The Case for Impeachment” (St. Martin’s Press, 2006 and now available in paperback edition). His work is available at www.thiscantbehappening.net
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