Utah Free Press

By Richard Okelberry (Note: This Post was originally published at KVNU’s, For the People Blog.) 

Immediately following the speech by President Obama given at West Point which called for an increase in troop strength in Afghanistan, Arianna Huffington, owner and founder of the online center for liberalism in America, the Huffington Post, has called for Vice President Joe Biden to Resign. 

“Joe Biden met with CENTCOM chief Gen. David Petraeus this morning to talk about Afghanistan — an issue that has pushed the vice president into the spotlight, landing him on the cover of the latest Newsweek.

I have an idea for how he can capitalize on all the attention, and do what generations to come will always be grateful for: resign.

The centerpiece of Newsweek’s story is how Biden has become the chief White House skeptic on escalating the war in Afghanistan, specifically arguing against Gen. McChrystal’s request for 40,000 more troops to pursue a counterinsurgency strategy there…”  Arianna Huffington, The Huffington Post

Unfortunately, for both Obama and Biden, she didn’t just do this on her web site but then went around to the various cable news networks and repeated her calls for what she calls a “resignation on principal.”

While I personally have long supported giving the requested troops to the commanders on the ground in Afghanistan, I have to give Arianna Huffington props for standing by her principals.  In fact, principled liberals seem to be shedding the haze created by the Obama Cult of Personality (OCP) and speaking out against this presidency everywhere. 

As expected by many, Obama decided to try and play both sides of this issue by giving in to the troop requests while declaring a specific date for withdrawal from Afghanistan.  Apparently this decision didn’t sit well with Biden who apparently wanted, like many other uber-liberals an immediate withdrawal of troops and a stand back lobbing missiles approach to fighting terror. This straddling of the fence on this issue by trying to uphold his campaign commitment to be strong on terror while simultaneously appeasing the peace brigade at the base of his party has created a situation where instead of everyone being happy with the decision, everyone from conservatives to die hard liberals are at odds with the President and saying it loudly.

“How do you on the one hand say, ‘we need to send these troops over there, it’s critical, this is in our national security interest to do this,’ but then say, ‘but we’re only going to keep ‘em there for 18 months.” – Bob Shieffer, CBS NEWS

Of course this decision was probably the safest bet for the President. 

First there will always be those Obamatons who will ALWAYS back, defend and justify anything that Obama does; even to the point of excusing it by pointing to the fact that Bush did something similar; as if it’s OK for Obama to do something as long as Bush did it, even though we wined and complained about it under Bush.  These are the same people who continue to say that anyone who opposes this president does so because they are racist or simply hate the man.  Any attempt to make these individuals understand that there is serious, legitimate and broad spread disagreement with this President over many issues is simply impossible. 

Second, even those on the uber-left who have begun to criticize Obama won’t switch parties.  They helped elect this President and now they will have to resign themselves to being disgruntled supporters if they have any hope of keeping a Republican out of the White House in 2012.  In the end I believe that Obama is rely on a belief that apathy will not overcome his supporters next year during the election and during his on re-election in 2012.  Notice that his withdrawal date for Afghanistan falls conveniently just before his the election gets into full swing.  Of course he has to hope and pray that things don’t fall apart in Afghanistan after the withdrawal.

I imagine that ultimately, from failing to immediately end the war in Iraq, immediately close GITMO, failing to bring Bush and Cheney to trial for war crimes, failing to push through the first draft of Socialized Health Care and now spending billions on a war and ordering our military to kill more people has to be seriously aggravating those on the radical left that ultimately pushed Obama past Hillary and onto the presidency with the belief that he held similar values regarding war.  Wasn’t this supposed to be our President of peace that recalled all the troops and had us singing Kumbaya around the White House in candle-light vigils for our dying earth?  Was all their work for not?  Are they now left with a weak and inexperienced president who will turn coat against the founding principals of progressive liberalism for his own political gain?

I have to imagine that apathy among the Democrat base has to be growing exponentially as they all begin to realize that they like the rest of the country, they have been suckered by a man who would say and do anything to gain power.

Suckers all around!