Obama walks (and talks) softly, carries a big stick
With the outbreak of turmoil in the Middle East, conservatives have found fresh reasons to attack President Obama on national security issues. Some Republicans, notably Sen. John McCain, want Obama to attack more forcefully in Libya.
Others, including conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer, have developed a new meme: Obama “leads from behind,” a style Krauthammer blasts as “ad hoc, erratic and ineffective.”
UPDATE: Political Wire has unearthed a 2008 quote from the impetuous McCain, who said back then that he would not go into Pakistan after Osama bin Laden. McCain told Larry King, “Larry, I’m not going to go there and here’s why: because Pakistan is a sovereign nation.”
The death of Osama bin Laden, in a raid executed under Obama’s explicit leadership, ought to quell that sort of foolish talk permanently. But it won’t. In about a week, conservatives will find a way to suggest that Obama’s leadership on foreign policy is weak.
That’s due to several factors, one being the typical partisan sniping against a president of the other party. Another is the decades-long caricature of Democrats as weak on defense. But another is more troubling — a deep-seating longing in some quarters for American dominance highlighted by arrogance, unilateralism, bellicosity and belligerence. There are many foreign policy experts, politicians and average voters who prefer an American president with a swagger — a bully-boy style with a shoot-from-the-hip way.
Remember George W. Bush? The fact that his style created more enemies, lowered America’s standing in the world and solved nothing doesn’t seem to matter to Obama’s critics. The fact that he has actually killed more terrorists than Bush did doesn’t seem to matter to the president’s critics.
I appreciate Obama’s measured approach. Heaven knows, I want a president who thinks long and hard before he sends men and women into harm’s way. I want a president who appreciates the fact that bellicosity helps our enemies and frustrates our friends. I want a president who’s a three-dimensional chess player, as Obama is. I want a president who doesn’t mind “leading from behind” if it gets the job done.
Obama won’t capture every jihadist, of course. He’s unlikely to pacify Afghanistan. And his daring raid on bin Laden’s compound owed something to luck as well as good intelligence, good planning and damned good Special Forces.
The war against al-Qaida isn’t over. But bin Laden’s death should serve as a reminder to the John McCain’s and Dick Cheney’s of the value of walking softly and carrying a big stick.
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362 comments Add your comment
jesus of lilburn
May 2nd, 2011
2:46 pm
Thus ensuring that other lives will be taken in retribution, by one side and then the other, in an endless continuum. How many lives were lost and much money was spent in the effort to take bin Laden’s life? And how many of the 911 dead have returned to life, now, as a result?
Their sons and daughters may now be told that an eye has been taken for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
“But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you, and persecute you;. . .”
Yep
May 2nd, 2011
2:48 pm
Regardless of your political affinity, today is a day to be proud to be an American. For once we showed continuity of leadership and unified resolve. Although both of the president’s leading our country during this “War on Terror” have different M.O.s for their parties benefit, I am proud that we can agree on one thing, and that is all persons waging war on innocents in our country will be brought to justice with extreme prejudice.
This is the first time I totally agree with our current POTUS. I can only hope that we continue to stay the course and defend liberty as well as our forces did late last night.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
Tipper's typist
May 2nd, 2011
2:48 pm
@ Kamchak’s Upchuck
The “filter” is for conservative bloggers as liberals have free reign to spout all kinds of hateful rhetoric. Al Gore didn’t create the Internet for Republicans.
Liberal Mantra
May 2nd, 2011
2:49 pm
Love your enemies, hate your neighbor (R)
wendy
May 2nd, 2011
2:51 pm
AP newswire: unexplained uptick in the sales of Lone Star in Crawford, TX today.
MikeM
May 2nd, 2011
2:54 pm
Ms. Tucker,
I didn’t know you were into satirical writing so much. Killed more terrorists than Bush? I guess you just woke up today and realized we are fighting a war on terror. All credit goes to the brave men and women of our military who have risked their lives so that you could have the freedom to publish your comedy.
John
May 2nd, 2011
2:55 pm
@ DebbieDoRight
You are clearly lost Debbie. Let me ask you this? Who’s policy was it in the first place to station troops over in Afghanistan to search for Bin Laden in the first place? It was George Bushs!! And your community organizer elected to keep those same polices going forward in his administration. You are clearly lost Debbie. Keep drinking your Obama Kool-aid and everything will be great. Wake up wacko!
M
May 2nd, 2011
2:55 pm
This is the football equivalent scenario. Joe Montana (George Bush) leads his team in the Super Bowl to a 49-10 lead, late in the 4th quarter by throwing five TDs. Coach Bill Walsh takes him out of the game with 2 minutes left, with the 49ers in poessession. In comes Steve Young (H Obama) to run out the clock. Steve takes 3 kneel downs and the clock ticks to zero. A local journalist named Cynthia runs up to Steve (drooling all over him) screaming “you did it Steve, you won the Super Bowl for the 49ers! Never mind that Joe guy, he didn’t have anything to do with the win!”
wendy's better looking & wealthier sister
May 2nd, 2011
2:58 pm
CNN Breaking News: Appropriately colored, blue Kool-aid sells out nationwide, yet again.
JohnnyReb
May 2nd, 2011
3:02 pm
4 more years of Obama – (God help us) to “JohnnyReb and others like him….What in the he’ll is wrong with you people.”
And the answer is, nothing. We are normal, patriotic, Constitution loving, gun toting Americans. It’s you and the Left that don’t like America as it was intended by ther founders. BTW, would you like to wage a bet on how many of the heros conducting the raid that killed OBL are Obama supporters? I know, not a good bet for you.
wendy
May 2nd, 2011
3:07 pm
m,
congrats! on the dumbest analogy ever!
John
May 2nd, 2011
3:11 pm
@ 4 more years for Obama
OMG, I had to read your post after seeing “JohnnyReb” post.
You are a typical Democrat for sure. It’s racisim. That’s it. If you disagree with Obama, you are a racist right? Get a life you loser. That’s the problem with you Democrats. You can’t win one damn arguement on pricipal alone. You have to resort to throwing out the race card and then a bunch of Rhetoric. Just look at how many times your fearless leader used the word, “I”. Great job Obama! This deserves another visit on the Oprah show. I’m sure he will be on the view with those cluless liberals soon again. You never know, he might just make a game show appearance soon. Maybe Jeoprady? I’ll take taxes for 1,000 Alex.
Daddee
May 2nd, 2011
3:12 pm
Ms. Tucker must really enjoy setting off all of you fools on this blog. She just writes and then watches you people make asses out of yourselves. I agree that it is much fun. I hope that a least a few of you can somehow enjoy the pride that Americans feel today.
Pull your head out of the sand!
May 2nd, 2011
3:15 pm
“Traditional Islamic procedures for handling the remains were followed, the officials said, including washing the corpse, placing it in a white sheet. Preparations for at-sea burial began at 1:10 a.m. EDT Monday and were completed at 2 a.m. EDT, one official said.
The intelligence official said the DNA match, using DNA from several family members, provided virtual certainty that it was bin Laden’s body.”
Is this a joke? The more I discover, the more unbelieveable this all becomes. We are supposed to believe family members of the of the World’s most notorious terrorist? How did we get DNA from bin Laden while he was hiding out in caves for well over a decade? Now he is living large in a Pakistan mansion? A proper burial at seas out of respect for the Muslim religion?
Cynthia is a dumb cow
May 2nd, 2011
3:17 pm
Its good to see that you quit being partisan for the day! Yes, this is sarcasm. Go USA!
John
May 2nd, 2011
3:17 pm
@ Daddee – What an intelligent post! Cowardly is more like it. What is your view? or are you too scared to espalin it because you have no clue. Of course most of the Americans feel great pride with what happened. They just don’t like the community organizer taking credit for it. Go drink some more Kool aid and think of something valid to post besides a cowardly non-stance post!
Tech Man
May 2nd, 2011
3:17 pm
Typical Republican
May 2nd, 2011
1:26 pm
I had to laugh at that one!
Good job Obama
May 2nd, 2011
3:19 pm
jesus of lilburn
May 2nd, 2011
2:42 pm
Osama bin Laden got murdered for killing innocent civilians in 9/11 and other terrorist incidents, so he has met justice. Islam does not allow killing of innocent humans and according to Islamic injunctions one who kills even a single innocent human being is considered to have killed the entire mankind.
However, it is a shame that much bigger criminals and mass murderers George Bush and Tony Blair who invaded Iraq on fabricated charges and set in motion events that resulted in the deaths of nearly a million innocent Iraqi men, women and children and created animosities that are causing scores of innocent death even now, remain untouched. What a shame – on the system of justice prevalent in the world
I agree totally. Don’t forget that the Dumb Americans the same ones that are blasting Obama, are the same ones that are hailing these 2 criminals as All American heroes. Some people are just tooo dumb ( mostly tea-baggers ) or don’t want to see the truth.
samantha
May 2nd, 2011
3:20 pm
How in the World did John ever get a GED. Only in the South.
Dan
May 2nd, 2011
3:22 pm
Kudos to Obama for listening to his Generals and Intelligence advisors and getting done what needed to be done.
But really CT
Obama talks softly and carries a big stick?
Quiet leadership?
The man never shuts up about who’s A$$ is responsible or explaining how he is in charge and how all that is wrong is someone elses fault. Leadership is about accepting responsibility and fixing the problem not pointing the finger and making excuses
This round he played well (albeit with intelligence gathered via means he has previously claimed unconstitutional) but it may be the first show of leadership he has had in his term.
Witness
May 2nd, 2011
3:23 pm
After all the brutal and degrading ways terrorist have treated Americans in death: beheadings, dragging bodies through street’s, hanging corpses from bridges, we still had the respect and dignity to bury that evil person in accordance with Islamic customs and rituals.
God Bless America…Woops.. we missed the part about pointing the head towards Mecca…..maybe the crabs will turn him…
Way To Go - PresBO!
May 2nd, 2011
3:23 pm
CAIRO — Muslim clerics said Monday that Osama bin Laden’s burial at sea was a violation of Islamic tradition that may further provoke militant calls for revenge attacks against American targets.
Daddee
May 2nd, 2011
3:25 pm
Dear John:
Perhaps you should take credit for it. Ms. Tucker and the rest of us can get a laugh out of that. Just ponder this. Todays events could not have happened without the President’s act.
Way To Go - PresBO!
May 2nd, 2011
3:26 pm
A wide range of senior Islamic scholars interpreted it as a humiliating disregard for the standard Muslim practice of placing the body in a grave with the head pointed toward the holy city of Mecca.
Sea burials can be allowed, they said, but only in special cases where the death occurred aboard a ship.
Bin Laden’s burial at sea “runs contrary to the principles of Islamic laws, religious values and humanitarian customs,” said Sheik Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand Imam of Cairo’s al-Azhar mosque, Sunni Islam’s highest seat of learning.
Many Babies Daddee
May 2nd, 2011
3:29 pm
Todays events could have happened without the President’s act.
Dan
May 2nd, 2011
3:31 pm
YEP has a great point, despite the chasm of differences between our two major parties, ideology, goals, methods etc. It does speak to the solidity of our version of a democratic republic, its checks and balances and the steadfastness of our populations desire for freedom and justice that there is enough continuity and enough shared goals that this type of achievment can be acheived with information passing from one administration to another, and the basic infrastructure and routine of the resources involved unchanged
kabuki
May 2nd, 2011
3:33 pm
What would Allah do?
Gator Joe
May 2nd, 2011
3:37 pm
Cynbthia
Predictable responses from the racist, bigoted Right Wingers, Conservatives and Republicans. The successful completion of this mission began with excellent intelligence, not the CIA variety, but rather that which is found within President Obama.
Tom Middleton
May 2nd, 2011
3:37 pm
Since the Republicans don’t have any real leaders in their midst – careful, brave, and determined souls, not cavalier with the precious lives of others – maybe they’re just jealous or too ignorant to know better.
Meanwhile, we have a real leader in the White House – President Obama – who not only knows what he’s doing, but has proven beyond doubt that he’s a real hero of the cause of freedom as well.
Stop whining, Republicans, and learn for a change, for you’re bound to get it right some day. We can only hope!
AmVet
May 2nd, 2011
3:37 pm
They were under the leadership of the CIA and the Military brass and NOT Obama.”
Obviously written by someone who knows absolutely nothing about the chain of command in the United States Armed Forces.
Cowardly cons, quit your silly little whining and salute your CiC…
Witness
May 2nd, 2011
3:39 pm
Now we are going to fret over how we buried Osama. He was lucky to get a bullet to the head…Since it was the Seals that pulled this off maybe we should have followed Navy tradition and keel hauled the SOB…… through the propellers.
AmVet
May 2nd, 2011
3:40 pm
“The “filter” is for conservative bloggers as liberals have free reign…”
From Chapter One of the Republican Cult of Victimhood.
Lefty
May 2nd, 2011
3:41 pm
As I have said to my friends many a time, what no one seems to understand is that, at all times, President Obama responds as an adult. He doesn’t scream; he doesn’t make nasty comments. He is an adult with grace, sound judgment and an open mind. We would be much better off if everyone would learn from this president how to behave with others – regardless of political parties. And, no, I am not an African-American. I am an old Southern white lady who has held President in esteem since the first day I heard him speak. Open your minds.
barac the joke
May 2nd, 2011
3:47 pm
Damn I hope this dont get him a 2nd term! osama killed thousands we only killed 1 bin laden. He didnt give a crap how our dead were put to rest but yet we toss him into the sea in respect to islam procedure. mmmmmmm 1st black president catch and kill a well known and very much wanted terrorist. something just aint right with this, oh well now who is a threat to the USA? Its funny that our joke of a president name is so close to the names of 2 of the worlds most hated men, Osama = Obama and his middle name Hussein = Saddam Hussein. We are cursed with the best of both evil worlds.
Typical Liberal
May 2nd, 2011
3:47 pm
“Predictable responses from the racist, bigoted Right Wingers, Conservatives and Republicans.”
No, just liberals blogging and posting as the Right. Liberals are their own worst enemy!
Daddee
May 2nd, 2011
3:48 pm
Well said Lefty & others.
Reverend Wright
May 2nd, 2011
3:50 pm
“President Obama responds as an adult. He doesn’t scream; he doesn’t make nasty comments.”
I speak on his behalf!
TnGelding
May 2nd, 2011
3:51 pm
Well, apparently the slacker has been working hard behind the scenes. You can’t argue with success. Al Qaeda was already decimated in Afghanistan and we should give them a chance to disband and slink off into the sunset. I would have preferred he had been captured alive and been forced to sufffer for his transgressions. Death was too easy. And the burial at sea will never satisfy the skeptics.
jojo
May 2nd, 2011
3:51 pm
Buford Pusser: The wrong kind of people have had their say for too long and I want to remind them that somewhere in this world there is a little law and order left – to let them know in the only way their kind understands, that they can’t bribe or threaten their way and they will damn well pay pay dearly for every crime they commit.
TnGelding
May 2nd, 2011
3:52 pm
The partisan comments on the various blogs are disheartening. Folks, aren’t we bigger than this?
Lefty
May 2nd, 2011
3:56 pm
I hope that President Obama’s detractors will take a lesson from him and conduct themselves as adults. Our president always behaves like an adult should, is open-minded but strong in his willingness to take action. I have been impressed with him from the moment I first heard him speak when he began his run to be president. You may not agree with him, or with the Democrats, but we can all be civil to one another when we exchange ideas. Be respectful, as President Obama always chooses to conduct himself. And, no, I am not an African-American – I am an old Southern lady who is thankful our President chose to run and I had an opportunity to vote for him even though, in Georgia, it doesn’t count.
SEAL
May 2nd, 2011
3:56 pm
“Cowardly cons, quit your silly little whining and salute your CiC…”
Most AmVets I know are the polar opposite of your ilk. So are most Republicans. You are pathetic and disgusting!
jojo
May 2nd, 2011
3:57 pm
I usually wait till the 4th of July, but in honor of this historic moment in American history-I’m putting my flag out. Thanks to the brave seals and the govt. of the USA for killing the sob.
freda
May 2nd, 2011
3:59 pm
Looks like the cons took the day off from demonizing gays and mexicans. Truly a miracle.
freda's zits
May 2nd, 2011
4:01 pm
Looks like the libs took the day off from hypocritcally supporting gays and mexicans. Truly a miracle.
mama says
May 2nd, 2011
4:01 pm
Hey GOOD JOB OBAMA,
qoute
” I agree totally. Don’t forget that the Dumb Americans the same ones that are blasting Obama, are the same ones that are hailing these 2 criminals as All American heroes. Some people are just tooo dumb ( mostly tea-baggers ) or don’t want to see the truth”
seems your logic and bias prevents you from seeing the entire truth. If in your mind we were justified in killing Bin Laden because he killed innocent people then, if for no other reason, isn’t our effort in Iraq legal since Saddam killed innocent people ?
just wondering, maybe you meant the innocent people that you see as worthy not really just innocent at large.
Chuck
May 2nd, 2011
4:02 pm
Great article Ms. Tucker. It sickens me to read some of these blogs. Had the mission failed, the Presidents career would be over. It took courage for him to make that decision. Now I understand why Georgia is ranked last in education. Its population justify’s it.
Dilbert
May 2nd, 2011
4:02 pm
SEAL,
I love your song, “Kiss from a Rose” when’s your next album gonna drop.
AmVet
May 2nd, 2011
4:07 pm
Like you know any veterans, mystery meat?
Yeah, riiiight, chickenhawk.
The only military experience you’ve ever had was playing Stratego…
Libby
May 2nd, 2011
4:11 pm
A giant teabag just ran up to me on the sidewalk and starting yelling racist remarks. Then an Evangelical Christian came after me as well. Why must the Right be so mean and hateful?