An Analogy Coalesces
November 17, 2009 9:37 am American Politics, Islam and the WestYour correspondent has been ambivalent toward the Carter-Obama analogy, but now it seems the pieces are starting to fit together in the form of KSM trial. What killed the Carter presidency was the daily news drip about the Iran hostage crisis along with the hostage crisis day-count. Obama has assured himself that sort of daily coverage with the KSM trial. Once the trial starts the events will ratchet beyond his control and it will be a leap into the unknown, i.e. Axelrod’s ability to plan will be limited with random developments in the trial.
This is a presidency on training wheels and it is entirely possible, as your correspondent noted in an earlier post, that this administration will change its mind given that this decision is polling badly.
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Arran Gold
Dougf :
Date: November 17, 2009 @ 10:32 AM
I am now 100% certain that this was a completely ‘political decision’, designed in part to ‘place Bush on Trial’.
Now apart from the sheer ‘badness’ of making politics superior to REALITY, I wonder if the ‘optics’ are as bad for the prior administration as some seem to feel.
Now me I would welcome the chance to defend the Bush anti-terror record against all comers. Including the ‘enhanced interrogations’. And I have the sneaking suspicion that unlike many of Obama’s supporters, the ‘people’ would be remarkably sympathetic to Bush and his actions when the accuser was KSM, et.al.
Really bad decision on many levels as others have said but I am personally convinced that it is REALLY bad ‘political decision’ as well.
Even the ‘Peter Principle’ can’t fully explain the sheer folly that increasingly is Obama. I don’t think he is really all that bright when you get right down to it.
Arran Gold :
Date: November 17, 2009 @ 10:49 AM
This decision is certainly odd given that KSM and his cohorts did say that they were guilty, albeit not formally. It also raises several other dilemmas. If KSM is being tried in a criminal court because he is a criminal then why is US engaged in drone attacks in Pakistan against Al-Qaeda? Will it mean that in the future criminals in US can be attacked without a due process?
I think this decision was based on putting Bush on trial but it might turn out to be a case of cutting off the nose to spite the face.