re: NBC Chuck Todd critical of Obama in book just released

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the honorable thing to do.

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With all due respect, not an attribute concerning political agendas.

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That, plus the distinct possibility that the liberal media will begin to increasingly criticize a suddenly (mostly) useless Obama in an attempt to draw a distinction between he and Hillary Clinton

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this

obama will be criticized for not being "democratic" enough, just in time to have a new candidate who will make the same promises to get elected in 2016

that's why i think warren is going to get the nom over HRC. agree or disagree with warren, but she's a legit populist liberal. plus HRC is not going to be able to play the "i'm a true liberal" card with her issues with war/conflict

the GOP may fall into the same trap. they have 2 years to try to work with Obama on issues to come to the middle in the eyes of the electorate. this would set up Rand Paul pretty well, but i don't think the GOP will think ahead and will try to move to a more partisan base level

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This volume fails to grapple seriously with how the White House’s eagerness to exit that war (and failure to make a concerted effort to persuade the prime minister at the time, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, to make a deal regarding United States troops)

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Wait, I thought that was Bush's fault?

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Anyway, doesn't Todd's book undermine your claim that MSNBC has no real journalist, just Democratic locksteppers and Obama cheerleaders?

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Barack Obama is yesterday's news. The Leisure Suit of American politics.

Chuck's just getting ready for Hillary!

A great example of the lack of insight present in so many leftists is the president's narcissism impairing his ability to understand that HE was the one voted against on Tuesday. It was all about him and his being told "No!" by the people.

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I'm cynical, but it just appears that when Progressive policies don't work and are proven to not work, they jettison the individual - Obama in this case, so that he takes the fall and not the Progressive Agenda. That way, they can get someone else to advance their flag.

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While this is true, given all the people Obama has tossed under the bus on his way up and while at the top, I can't imagine a more worthy or fitting person to have this happen to.

Hoist on his own petard, if you will.

I realized this was my biggest beef with Obama three or four years ago.

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Those problems include what critics see as Mr. Obama’s passive leadership and lack of managerial experience; his disdain for, but inability to change, politics as usual in Washington; and his reluctance to reach out to Congress and members of both parties to engage in the sort of forceful horse trading (like Lyndon B. Johnson’s) and dogged retail politics (like Bill Clinton’s) that might have helped forge more legislative deals and build public consensus.

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Obama never channeled his inner LBJ. You can't always get people to do what you want to by sweet talking them. Sometimes you have to twist their arms to make them do what you want. Also, you can't be afraid to use political capital for fear of upsetting people or getting bad press. For example, Truman desegregated the military by executive order, he didn't wait on Congress to act. Conversely, Obama waited for public opinion to turn and Congress to act before he juumped on the gay rights bandwagon, despite the fact he could have used an executive order to change the military's policy just like Turman did. And remember, gay rights is one of the things he campaigned on in 2008. Similarly, he's let down Hispanics by not keeping all the promises he made to them on immigration, because he's afraid of a little political blowback.

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Wait, I thought that was Bush's fault?

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It's nobody's fault, it's a dumb talking point from people who either never understood Iraqi politics or have willfully forgotten how it was aligned a few years ago. Maliki's second coalition had Sadrists in it. You know, this guy?



They fricking hate us and would have pulled their support from him at so much as a whiff of continued American presence. Maliki's choice was essentially (a) sign a new American deal and lose power right there (b) let us leave and gamble on keeping order with only Iranian support. Maliki, being a self-interested semi-competent sectarian dipshit, chose (b). There's nothing Bush, Obama, McCain, or anyone could have done about that, short of ditching the "democracy" plan and rigging the election or otherwise forcibly installing Allawi as PM.

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Real journalists wouldn't have waited until after all the elections.

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Isn't it the publisher that decides when a book gets released?

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Chuck Todd critical of Obama in book just released

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Mary Landrieu thinks Chuck Todd must be racist.

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The American people knew all there was to know about Obama's background before 2008, because FOX and Hillary made sure of that.

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You actually make a good point. The voters had every chance to notice the lack of experience; they just didn't care. Yeah, voters!