Just tell me...when?
The common thread from many was that we had to have zero faith that DADT would be repealed while Obama was President. Here's just a recent sampling of the eleventy billion or so diarists who thought this was what we had to resign ourselves to.
Exhibit A:
He can give a good speech, and he's a smart guy, but as politician, he's a tool.
He's been played.Like he was on health care, on DADT, on the oil spill, or Afghanistan, on Gitmo.
Exhibit B:
At least with the health care bill, Obama had substantial power to shape a complex process. But here the issues are reasonably simple. To repeal DADT, for example. Not a lot of nuance there.
Exhibit C:
But the last straw was Don't Ask Don't Tell. I can still barely wrap my head around it. A federal judge ruled the law unconstitutional. All the Obama administration had to do was literally NOTHING AT ALL and DADT would have been history. Instead, what did they do? They frigging APPEALED it. I don't use this phrase often, but WTF?!?
Um...because, like it or not, it's the LAW and that is what the DOJ upholds? Can't believe the dozens on here that couldn't wrap their heads around that tricky concept.
Exhibit D:
The White House does not "got this" and it looks more and more like they're going to fail massively at this and lay failure at the feet of gay groups.
Exhibit E:
There are others where I wish his actions in office would have matched his campaign rhetoric, especially on respecting the Constitution - my numerous postings criticizing this administration on issues before the Courts is only part of this desire; so is my disappointment on how he has handled repeal of DADT.
The takeaway here? This can also apply to (insert issue du jour of your choice). Look, voicing dissent on the issue is fine. So are those good ol' calls for action (calling reps/senators and the like. But all of this vitriol about OBAMA SOLD US OUT - WURST PREZ EVAH is misdirected hostility and unresourceful anger that does nothing. Especially the ones who engage in Presidential finger-pointing while leaving out Congress.
Hey, here's a tip...how about taking aim at all the blue dogs and intransigent Democratic Senators? That would seem to make more sense than talking about these Obama challenges in two years. Heck, you might even see some (gasp) party discipline from that and just look at what that can do.
We have a breaking news update: The President doesn't control Congress! The executive and legislative branches of government are co-equal entities, one doesn't have any leeway over the other.
Neither does the President control the decisions of the DOJ. Got that?
Good. One issue to set aside on the leader board. Let's move on.