All day long, I’ve been listening to conservatives accusing Obama of looking weak over Syria. He has been too indecisive, he has changed his mind… If only he was a stronger leader, then they might be able to respect him.
Yeah, right. What complete bullshit. I can only imagine the hysterical outcry that would be happening right now if Obama had been a Bush-style, more decisive leader on this. For instance, if he had not consulted Congress over Syria and had just gone in. We would be hearing discussions all day long about Obama being a dictator and about FEMA camps. How dare he not consult Congress! He is trampling on the Constitution yet again! It would be another one of those days when, if you’re a right-wing radio listener, you retreat to your basement to polish your guns.
One of the dilemmas this President has to deal with is that he cannot appear to be too strong. He’s already considered a dictator for passing the moderate Republican health care plan. I’m no fan of military involvement in Syria, but I suppose at least I can be grateful that the President hasn’t been too much of a “decider”. There is only so much right-wing hysteria I can take.
eurobrat 
09/09/2013 at 9:24 pm
I decided today that Obama’s decision to consult Congress was more of a historic resetting of the Constitution than a desire to ask for approval. It’s worth remembering that he’s a Constitutional law professor and what gets blurred in real life, who’s responsible for what, is usually pretty clear in law school, having had Con Law a few years back. Bush didn’t ask for Congressional approval and Congress didn’t want to have to be asked – to be asked is to be culpable and there’s not a Congressman or woman who wants to be tied to a bad decision. So Bush’s madness was totally acceptable, however it turned out.
Here Obama has reset the Constitution and however crazy the weirdos on the right, the Strict Constitutionalists, they do have to accept that the Prez is following the Constitution to the letter in asking for Congressional approval for war. It’s precedent setting and I think both a slap to Bush and Congress, but also establishing how things could and/or SHOULD work in the future.
That said, I doubt it will have any real lasting effect. The next engagment isn’t this one and the players will shuffle just enough that the next President won’t have to worry about such things. And again Congress won’t want him to.
Still, it’s a nice gesture, and a nice bit of gamesmanship in pulling the right toward the President, if only for a moment. The need to go to war, what Elephant would say no to that? I’d say it was a bit Clintonesque, alas with no real benefits on the other side.
09/10/2013 at 6:24 pm
I agree with your analysis, and unfortunately also agree that the next time there is another war-mongering President in office, a thousand excuses will be found for that President not having to go through Congress or get the necessary approval. Ah well, a nice little moment for lawfulness.