I'll make this brief.
Apparently a lot of you don't get Barack Obama. I saw this problem coming a mile off, especially during that brief window where Kos didn't care for Obama and preferred Edwards. The problem is very simple, and the way it's played out is pretty funny to me.
Barack Obama isn't a knife-fighter. He doesn't slash, he doesn't go for the face. Barack Obama finesses his opponents. He outthinks them. He seldom lands a blow because he seldom needs to. He's great on the counterpunch, but his heart really isn't into bloodletting.
The netroots wants someone to make the Republicans pay for what they've done. The netroots wants someone to kick their asses, if not kick in their teeth. Well guys, if that's what you want, you don't know Barack Obama.
And I do...
This is the guy who, when he was in charge of the Harvard Law Review, made it a point to include conservatives in the publication despite the fact that those who preceeded and followed him generally did not. This is the guy who takes the time to understand the other side, and learn from their positions.
This is what post-partisan "new politics" means! It means you don't try to get cute and attack Senator McCain in any way related to his military record. First off it's a phenomenally bad idea. Whether it is right or wrong the American people believe very deeply that McCain's heroism is sacred. It's frankly a bit overdone, but the polls show it consistently and my own life experiences make this plain. You can't touch it. You just can't. Secondly, it goes against everything Barack Obama has run on.
You guys have deluded yourselves to no small degree if you expect some kind of progressive Smackdown champ. Barack Obama is a Constitutional scholar and an inclusive thinker. He is not into direct confrontations. Look at how he's run every campaign and every major legislative effort. He seems to avoid the head-on collision and tries to outfox the other side. He generally succeeds.
What General Clark said was factually pretty correct, but it was waaaay off message. Whilst Barack Obama is saying that he wants a more positive kind of politicking one of his most prominent supporters tries to cut John McCain off at the knees. It doesn't really matter that Clark was correct!
Barack Obama gets to determine the message and underlying theme of his campaign. Anyone involved in it needs to understand that. If Barack Obama doesn't think that going negative, especially on an issue like McCain's military record, then frankly anybody in that campaign is doing themselves a disservice.
Clark was right, sure. That doesn't mean that this was the right time or the right way to make this point. Barack Obama has done pretty well for himself and for our party by his own techniques, and his methods don't involve a methodical deconstruction of his opponent(s). He's more subtle than that.
You're going to have to accept it. Obama hates the Right less than we do. I want somebody better than me. I want somebody who tries to make our political process more enlightened and less warlike.
Obama will hit McCain on the issues and on judgment. I don't expect him to hit McCain on McCain. It's totally out of character for him to do so.
Obama is generally risk-averse (politically) and generally courteous, whilst keeping people at arms-length. Get used to it.
FYI, this doesn't mean that us regular folks can't say and do what we like. I'm referring to people who work for Obama or hope to.
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