Throughout seven years of George Bush's presidency, he proudly, gleefully even wore the mantle of War President. Few moments went by when he didn't grab the opportunity to point out that he was, indeed, A War President. Oh, sure, it did come across like one of those relentless late-night TV commercials when some pitchman proclaims himself the king of sofa beds, and at the end, wearing a crown and ermine robe, shouts, "I am the king!"
The thing is, George Bush didn't just wear his crown and robe, and parade around for comic effect. He added a flight suit, threw in an aircraft carrier, and kept pounding away for seven years that He Was A War President in order to make a political point, that everyone (read: Democrats) should acquiesce to his lordly wishes. And his Republican court in Congress and on the airwaves made sure to add the weight of majesty by suggesting that anyone who didn't support The War President was unpatriotic at best, and a traitor, at worst. This was war, and he was The War President. He Was The Freaking War President. And you'd darn well better remember that and pay homage.
It took a lot to finally convince Democrats in Congress and much of the American public to finally grasp that George Bush was not worth supporting, no matter how many times he and the Republican Party kept insisting he deserved support, simply because he was A War President. Purely because he was A War President. Only because he was A War President. Most Americans finally got it, that at a certain point you have to deliver on being merely president, period. But to that Radical Far Right base and the Republican Congress, still, just being The War President is all one needs to deserve full, total, blind, thoughtless support.
Well, good news for all those people who believed that way, and no doubt still do!! Are you ready?
Barack Obama is A War President! Your War President. Our War President.
There, you go. You can pay your War President Homage ™ without skipping a beat. Surely Republicans in Congress and the Radical Far Right believe now what they believed then - that just being A War President is all one needs to deserve full, total, blind, thoughtless support. Surely they all support War President Barack Obama's actions and orders solely because he is A War President.
Okay, maybe he hasn't called himself that daily, like George Bush did. But War President Barack Obama isn't a struttin' kind of guy. Apparently, he wasn't in a fraternity, so he hasn't grasped the process.
But make no mistake, strutting or not, self-aggrandizing praise or not, Barack Obama is A War President.
By the way, here's one of the differences between War President George Bush and War President Barack Obama. War President George Bush fought wars for seven years that had no end in sight, no exit strategy and seemed to exist purely to expand his War Presidency. On the other hand, within six weeks of his becoming War President, War President Barack Obama announced the end of the war, which would thereby end his War Presidency.
Sure, there are many other differences between War President George Bush and War President Barack Obama, but...well, that's a pretty big one, so you get the idea.
Yet, still, until that war does end in 18 months, Barack Obama remains our War President.
And how do the Republicans in Congress and Radical Far Right pay their demanded obedience to the United States War President? You know, that whole, "Support The War President or you're an unpatriotic traitor"? Well, for starters we have those two 176-0 votes by Republicans in Congress. We have the Voice of the Republican Party, Mr. Limbaugh, saying that he hopes The War President fails. We have the chairman of the Republican Party proclaiming, "The goose egg that you laid on the president's desk was just beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." (Note: that should have been "The War President's desk.") And on and on, Republicans every step of the way, trying to block nearly every move by the new War President.
Apparently, Republicans in Congress and the Radical Far Right don't believe you should fall down on your knees in total obedience to A War President, just because he's The War President. Apparently, they don't believe it's traitorous or even unpatriotic to voice opposition. Gee, go figure.
Apparently, they were just being numbingly disingenuous, totally political and partisan on the backs of the U.S. military during a time of war. Gee, go figure.
The good news for Republicans in Congress and the Radical Far Right is that with Barack Obama ending the Iraq War in 18 months, they won't have to worry about following A War President just because he's A War President.
Not that it would matter to them. Gee, go figure.