"The President is taking a page right out of Karl Rove's playbook"

[babylonsister]

And Halperin is probably vewy vewy sad.

http://thepage.time.com/2012/05/01/obama-we-can-see-the-light-in-afghanistan/


Obama: “We Can See the Light” in Afghanistan
Tuesday, May 1, 2012


In address to the nation, President to thanks men and women in uniform, say "we have a clear path to fulfill our mission in Afghanistan, while delivering justice to al Qaeda."

Obama: "This time of war began in Afghanistan, and this is where it will end."

Adds new strategic agreement allows for troop commitment beyond 2014 and/but insists "our goal is not to build a country in America’s image."

Read the President's address @ link~

Halperin's Take

There are are lot of substantive questions begged by the President's speech and the agreement, especially the extent to which Karzai will be a reliable partner. But the politics of what was announced is wicked smart, and almost certainly gets Obama through November without Afghanistan being a political liability for him. The Left gets to believe that the President is committed to ending the war (Look! He went half way around the world to say it.). And critics from the Right, like John McCain, don't have much to grasp onto, given the new scheme's long time horizon. Mitt Romney might try to make up some basis for criticizing the plan as too vague or weak, but with Karzai's signature, the apparent support of the US military, and a something-for-everyone agreement, Obama has had a very good Tuesday. Happy anniversary, Mr. President. The President is taking a page right out of Karl Rove's playbook. By saying the war is winding down while the continued troop presence protects his right flank, Obama can effectively carry the Afghanistan debate through November. It doesn't help that Romney has no military service and no obvious position of strength from which to attack the incumbent. And now with Karzai's signature, Obama has effectively checkmated the issue.

[liberal N proud]

1. Beating them at their own game

Something we have been wanting Democratic leaders to do for a long time.

And it is pissing off the right!

[JoePhilly]

2. Romney just kicked a puppy.

[Cosmocat]

3. Did he ...

1) Flat lie
2) Accuse someone of doing what he is doing
3) Push the envelop on executive privilege to use government for political gain
4) Accuse someone else of not being a true american

Then, he did not take a page out of Rove's playbook.

Halperin is a snarky, right wing teet sucking she dog.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

5. true---now about that sexist insult......

that kind of made me gag too, the comparison to Rove. Ugh!! You're right, I don't see any similarity to Rove's Rovian techniques of lying, false innuendo or destroying people's lives! He (Halperins) is going on as if it's nothing more than sportscasting! UGH!!!


now, the teetsuckingshedog remark.....as a woman and fellow DUer, who is supposed to be on the same team as you, that was pretty offensive.

[southernyankeebelle]

4. Funny that the republicans keep underestimating the President. Obama is always

one step ahead of them and boy they just can't take it. They can't believe the black man in the white house is wiping his feet all over them. Way to go Mr. President.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

6. Heeee! Nicely put!

I LIKE it when he wipes his feet on them!!!!!! I f*&kin totally LOVE IT! !

[southernyankeebelle]

14. Alright Blanche your my kinda girl. I would like it even better if he walked

through dog crap and then wipe his feet on them.

[msanthrope]

11. I think they read GD on DU. Anybody might think

Obama is a murdering moron after reading that...

[peace frog]

7. It's about gawddamn time

Methinks Bill Clinton is influencing Obama's recent spate of "taking it to the enemy" and thank the gawds for it.

[Jester Messiah]

8. He's eating their lunch.

As was said elsewhere, Obama's taking away the Repub's ability to present themselves as the "Daddy" party.

Notwithstanding the GOP made for a fairly abusive and repugnant father figure.

[Proud Public Servant]

9. Awesome. Still...

It'd be nice if our president actually governed this way, rather than just campaigning this way. But I'll take what I can get.

[Enrique]

10. if true, then this is bad, right?

Halperin is saying Obama is fooling the left in a Karl Rove-like manner. People seem to be reacting as if this were a good thing.

But myself, I don't put much stock in what Mark Halperin says.

[AlbertCat]

12. Halperin is saying Obama is fooling the left

Exactly how is telling everyone on prime time TV what you are doing "fooling the left".

Halperin is the one trying to fool everyone into thinking he knows what he's talking about.

[JDPriestly]

13. I wonder what Obama promised to give Karzai.

Obama's trip and speech and outreach to the troops and to Karzai also make it more difficult for Republicans to do the kind of underhanded, illegal, backdoor trick they allegedly (and believably) did with Carter with the Iran hostages and with Johnson with ending the Viet Nam War -- negotiate outside the legal boundaries of our laws limiting who can conduct our foreign policy.

Hopefully, there will be no illegal, backdoor deals between the Republican candidate and some foreign leader that is intended to embarrass Obama and win the hearts and minds of the American people.

Afghanistan would have been a fertile ground for that sort of Republican maneuver, but now -- less likely.

Of course, there are a lot of other international quagmires that the Romney campaign could exploit. Obama's administration will have to work hard to deal with all foreign leaders on this.

I would watch out for the former Soviet Union countries to the north of Iran from Georgia -- across. The Republicans are likely to try to stir up trouble in that part of the world -- if not in North Africa -- Egypt to Iraq. Then, of course, there are Yemen and Sudan and other parts of Africa -- to say nothing of Venezuela and Bolivia in South America. Boy, does Obama have his hands full this year.