I'm getting very tired of hearing how Obama gives in too easily, and needs to be a lot tougher with the GOP. The problem with that is that today's GOP is willing to use tools that only a mad man would use in order to force their policies down our throats. So many decry that the GOP is able to get what they want when it matters; if only Obama were as tough as they are. But have you even considered what kind of threats Obama have would to use in order to match the House GOP? I have.
One thing he could have done, say, to get a public option into the health care bill: threaten the GOP that if they didn't pass the bill he wanted, he would shut down our military. He would fire everyone, sell off the equipment, and completely remove all of our defenses globally. Which he could do, as Commander in Chief. So, John Boehner, take that back to your caucus!
Say you want to amend the Constitution to guarantee the right to gay marriage. How do you get the GOP to vote for such an Amendment? Simply threaten to surrender to some European left-leaning country. France, perhaps. If you really want to piss them off, Cuba. Which, as president, you can do. Done, we surrender. Or pass a Constitutional Amendment to establish gay marriage. Your choice, GOP.
Or (and this may be a little over the top) you start nuking the Congressional districts of the most strident Republicans. And don't stop until they buckle. As president, you can actually do this!
These are the kinds of things (except perhaps the last one) that Obama would have to threaten to fight under the same rules as our adversaries. They are fucking lunatics, at least enough of them to matter.
President Obama, we must remind ourselves, is fighting as hard as he can, working 20-hour days under tremendous pressure, to save all of our collective asses. And he's fighting against the meanest, craziest group of hombres our government has ever seen. There are no easy ways to beat people who are willing to do the kinds of things they are willing to do. We'll see who the voters reward in 2012.