Betraying the Idea of America

Barack Obama is beginning to disappoint. There's no doubt about it.

From financial regulation to energy policy, Iraq to health care reform, the President and his team are showing us what they're made of. And it's not pretty. At every turn, they've been choosing the achievable over the better angels of our national conscience.

As a practical matter, this has meant sometimes seeming cynical and hypocritical, or in the thrall of various industries -- by, for instance, delivering the appearance of legislative achievement while leaving core problems more or less intact. That, despite this country's strong urge to turn away from the past eight years.

This shabby performance is all the more dismaying because abandoning the Bush/Cheney years and all they represent is why Mr. Obama was elected in the first place. But in only his first year in office, the list of promising roads not taken is growing long; and the movement that swept Mr. Obama into office is beginning to appear to have been the triumph of hope over experience.

To choose just one minor offense: Under Bush/Cheney, credit card companies routinely gouged consumers with what can only be called despicable business practices, while regulators did nothing.

Among these: So-called "convenience checks" issued to credit card holders, which the companies could bounce if the customer's credit rating changed. The bounced checks generated fees to the banks, and further hurt the customer's credit. No loan shark would try that one.

So this past week, the federal Office of Thrift Supervision told one of the offenders, American Express Bank, to stop this underhanded practice, set up a fund to repay customers it had tricked, and pay a fine.

The fund? $1.5 million -- $160 per customer. No provision to restore their credit was announced. The fine? $250,000. You have to wonder if said loan shark would get that deal. But I'm sure American Express will take the lesson to heart: Last year, its net income was $2.6 billion.

The President didn't cut this deal. But it happened on his watch, and he gets the credit. So it's pretty disappointing to read that the Oval Office is drafting an executive order that follows in Dick Cheney's footsteps, by consigning some Guantanamo inmates to life in prison without trial.

The Oval Office is reportedly drafting this Executive Order because it fears that closing Guantanamo as promised will be tough enough, and that simply releasing these inmates will be make it politically impossible; so it's a way to finesse the problem. But it's a sad reflection on the meaning of hope.

The main reason for this mess is the Bush/Cheney contempt for the law: While many of the 229 prisoners still held in Cuba can be tried and released, somewhere between 90 and 130 can't be, because either the evidence against them is classified, or came from foreign intelligence agencies, or was extracted under torture. That sort of evidence can't be used in a U.S. court.

Are these last bunch bad people? Probably. But that didn't justify torture. Nothing does. Like John McCain said, this wasn't about them; it was about us. Yet torture them we did, and now we can't let them go -- because we tortured them, and therefore can't give them a trial.

This is right out of Kafka, but the reality is that nobody knows what to do with these people. And to be fair to Mr. Obama, he probably has information we don't, information forcing this decision in a direction neither he, nor most of us, want. But clearly, America can't just imprison people forever without trial; that makes a lie of everything America stands for.

The problem is that in eight years, Bush/Cheney did something all of America's enemies, over the last 200 years, failed to do: Soil the idea of America. No shining city on a hill is built on torture chambers. Unless we grit our teeth and resolve this, nobody, anywhere, will ever consider us anything but another bully of a country trying to get its way no matter what -- just like our enemies. America has to straighten that out.

Barack Obama has many fine qualities. But he is a politician in his bones. And this is a matter of high principle and cannot be finessed, compromised, or spun until people get tired of listening and turn away.

To do that betrays not only the hopes of those who placed him in office, and the blood and tears we have poured out to defend our hopes for the future of mankind; it betrays his own duty to himself. He must remember, as Abraham Lincoln said, that "...we cannot escape history....The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation."

When I raise the flag over my little patch of America this weekend, I'll be hoping President Obama remembers those words, and turns away from an act that can only be a blot upon his honor.

Comments

[Jun58]

Don't blame the messenger. It seems you're more frustrated by the consequences of the Bush administrations actions: putting people in jail without due process. Now the current administration is faced with a dilemma. Give it time. We have another Bush-inflicted problem on our hands that affects Americans to a far greater extent than the detainees question. Look at it this way: in a better light Obama has somewhat quelled the world's disappointment and restored confidence in America by speaking abroad and upholding the values our country has always aspired to. Let Guantanamo wait. It won't come easy, but I'm confident it will be resolved.

[joceeco]

I noticed that a few people mentioned that Barack Obama's name was mispelled, well I say so what? The body of this article is a great summary of many of the things that Obama has done since he has been in office, that seems to go against our reason for voting for him. Obama is too busy trying to please everyone, including republicans, who made him out to be a monster during the preelection events and they still haven't let up. He needs to realize that a president cannot reason with evildoers. He keeps tellig his supporters to be patient, while trying woo the people who hates him most. I have started treating Obama's televised town hall meetings the way I treated Bush's press conferences, I have started changing the channel.

[Jezreel]

Andrew Reinbach should learn how to spell the President's name before trying to imitate a journalist or commentator.

Eventually, he may even realize that the "Obama is un-American meme" is so 2008. It didn't persuade anyone outside the McCain/Palin camp then and no one is buying it now.

[AhnAmuru]

Dude!

Platitudes.

1. On credit cards, try class actions.

2. Guantanamo, unsubstantiated. Not sure how anyone can be disappointed in advance!

Waste of space.

[Claude203]

You lost me on the first sentence. Try spelling the guy's name right. :-)

[octobia]

I have to laugh at the commentaries assessing the Obama Administration -- Am I the only one who thinks six months in is too soon for a retrospective?

President Obama never positioned himself as a liberal in the old tradition but as what he is: a centrist who is pragmatic and moderate in most of his positions. It's only in contrast to the far right that Mr. Obama seems left-wing!

No matter, though, our problems certainly took longer than 6 months to emerge -- why not give him a whole year before we pass final judgment?

[Strza]

I don't think anyone IS passing *final* judgment. It seems to me that the whole point of writing posts like this is to push more liberal ideas to the forefront of these debates. Just because he's only been in office 6 months is no reason not to pay attention and make it known when your president is veering away from what you expect from him. Yes his promises were lofty during the campaign, but we shouldn't be silent on any issue we feel passionately about, right?

[Beowoof]

Your not the only one. Obama is going nice and slow, picking his fights wisely whether he is being screamed at by the left or the right. There are things in the world we'd all love to change immediately, but then there's reality---­heartbreak­ing as it is.

[BringmeReason]

And after a year has passed with no serious changes, what then will you say? Do you really believe that his pandering and pragmatic characters will actually drive him into action, instead of mere words? This is silly, the excuse that it's only 6 months is getting old, stop cuddling the President and perhaps he will be forced to put some of that audacity to good use.

[Chazmania]

Change was another political lie.
"that makes a lie of everything America stands for" quoted from abouve.
seems to me too late! we elected liars now we become a nation of them.

[kewe]

Given what everyone knew going in was a long arc to actually turn this thing around, how is it possible that achievable over the better angels of our national conscience be viewed as disappointing so early on?

If Obama is lucky enough to win a 2nd term, even THAT won't be enough time to deposit america on the other side of the arc going in the right direction.

Repeating achievable over and over again is enormous progress. Over-reaching on every subject has no chance for success.

[mama4obama]

If you are going to critcize him , can you at least spell his name correctly. It's Barack Obama. Also , he should be referred to as President Obama or Mr. Obama.

[AirForceWx1701]

Metallica said it best: Sad But True.

[Hope Lives]

What a rant.. We need hope and we need to pull together. I wish you could walk one day in the President's shoes. You could not handle it and I know this because of this cowardly post. He has been in office less than half a year. He was handed the worst problem this nation has ever faced... a global meltdown. Not just an American meltdown. By the time George Bush was finished the middle class in America carried (by far) the largest share of the tax burden. They had to use credit cards to stay middle class and now can't spend when we need it. They owe too much credit card debt. Bush filled the White House, the military and every office of government with evangelicals bent on combining church and state. Most of these people were incompetent. And he created laws that allowed the banks to trade instruments that were not regulated or traded on any exchange. They were traded in secret and he made sure they had no regulation because they were hidden and done between wealthy individuals. The President is trying to restore the banks that have been completely robbed. If your identity is stolen and all your funds are gone do you give away the first few dollars you get? If the banks go under ALL jobs are lost. There are thousands of messes and two wars and the President is disappointing YOU. You whine for you.The rest of us stand for America.

[expired]

Don't preach to the choir, share this with the White House. Send them a copy of your post.

[Jim Welke]

First, how are "the achievable" and "the better angels of our national conscience" comparable? I believe that, confronted with an avalanche of Bush/Cheney calamities, President Obama is choosing his showdowns carefully with the expectation that he will live to fight another day and have the opportunity to revisit and revise the imperfect results of these necessarily hasty actions. Actions meant to limit the immediate dire consequences of these inherited calamities, not as the be all and end all for fixing the economy, banking, the auto industry, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, N. Korea, health-care, Medicare, energy, the national debt, the trade deficit, global warming...­to name a few of Bush/Cheney’s orphans.

Second, the post dwells mainly on the issue of torture: a grim issue, worthy of dwelling on. But what does it have to do with Obama’s other initiatives (or lack thereof as the author sees it)? And while disappointingly little has changed at Guantanamo so far, no irrevocable actions by the President have been taken either. I doubt, in the end, that the President intends for torture to be “finessed, compromised, or spun until people get tired of listening and turn away.” I say we take the President at his word, and give him a reasonable fraction of the eight years it took to get in this mess to hack his way out.

More? http://cyclopsvue.blogspot.com

[Strza]

"...no irrevocable actions by the President have been taken either."

Not exactly awe-inspiring as a symbol of the bold new course we wanted. It's not wrong to disagree with the President and make it known, is it?

Time, time, time. That's all any of the Presidents supporters (I am one 4 sure) can point to when asked about preventative detention, Health Care Reform, the bailout of the financial sector, or don't ask don't tell / gay marriage. He might eventually get it right, or he might not. I, for one, am very happy to hear honest, well thought-out dissenting opinions. Great post.

[altohone]

The rest of the world has been aware of our hypocrisy for a long time.
You focus on just a smattering of abuses, but many more are known.

We coddle and even arm dictators and kings.
We trained torturers, and gave lists of names of people to be disappeared.
We topple the fairly elected.
We start wars on lies.

Americans ARE finally learning about some of it.

If Americans will accept these things as official policy is the big question.

We do know that 54% of Republicans support torture, so it's hard to believe this will end well.

[HHUA]

Sadly all VERY true!!!

[NordicSci]

How could he not disappoint? That was my first thought after the election as I told some international colleagues. Expectations were high beyond reason and compromising principles inevitable. We hoped he could do things that no politician could do. Governing is choosing, sometimes the lesser of two unattractive alternatives. I was and continue to be a strong supporter (and at times a critic of the choices he has made). But I do not doubt they were guided by a set of values that match up well with my own. It is easy to second guess when you don't have the burden of choosing and figuring out what values to trade off for a greater good. I will try to withhold sweeping judgments of his performance for at least another year or so. And when I do, I will try to put that assessment in the broader context his performance vis-a-vis other past and would-be presidents and the situation he was dealt.

[jhjd]

HuffPost's Pick

My advice is to go read Peter Clothier's excellent posts on this subject.

Neither Obama's worshippers nor his retractors are doing America any favors with their respective versions of the "betraying America" meme. The fact is that we live in an imperfect world. It's okay - even healthy - to disagree with the President about a policy decision. It's okay - even healthy - to wish for more. But to refuse to see the good in what IS being done, or to give him or our other governing officials a fair chance, is the true "betrayal of America."

[Hope Lives]

Excellent.

[everythinginmoderation]

politicians lie, every last one of them. Obama is no different.

[TongoRad]

Obama should be held accountable to his extravagant election rhetoric. He's had a fair chance to deliver on some very core issues, and he's continually waffled and taken half-steps.

We can't afford that. That's what the Obama apologists seem to be missing. Our current crisis is very real and requires bold leadership and decisive change. Yet Obama seems to be settling for something far less.

There will be a political price to pay, and it ain't going to be pretty. You know how reactionary American voters are - they won't be reaching out to a more progressive candidate in the next election. Obama's fuddy-duddy bungling is paving the way for another Bush - or worse.

[mama4obama]

Amen! Who needs the Republicans to beat him up when we have our own people that are unhappy no matter what. President Obama has always chosen pragmatism . This is not new. Go back and listen to what he said during the campaign and not what you think he said.

[joceeco]

No one is beating up on Obama except republicans. Criticism from his supporters is just what is needed to make him spend some time on our agenda. He sure as hell spent a lot of time trying to woo the evildoers in the name of bi-partisanship didn't he?

[HHUA]

Calling this guys post a "betrayal of America" is a little harsh I think, and frankly I am surprised at HP for making it a "Pick"! The guy is entitled to his opinion and if he feels (based on what has been done or NOT done) that President Obama is beginning to look a lot more like a 'politician' and less like the Avenger he presented himself to be... I would hope he would not be attacked for his view.

Perhaps it is too soon to tell, but we certainly are seeing a bit more of the status quo (re: civil liberties, endangered species, torture, transparency, etc.) than many of us would like to see. Do we need to be pragmatic and understand that there is a balance and counterbalance that may not be visible to the public? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean we should proceed with blind faith and/or neglect to question when we have cause for concern... Wasn't that exactly what we had the last eight years on the right?!

Hmmm.... sounding just a little "H/annity" to me!!!