This week was obviously a big, big week for gay rights activists. Obama makes it clear that after years of having his views evolve on the matter he fully supports gay marriage. I found it rather touching when he said it was actually his children and their inability to see why homosexual couples should be barred from marriage that finally changed his mind.
But I find that I am disconcerted by the fact that Obama's aides are reportedly pretty peeved at VP Joe Biden for speaking his mind and forcing the president to come out before he was ready, by which of course I mean when it was politically expedient for him to do so.
Who knows when Obama would have made his decision known? Was he hanging onto it for use in a debate against Romney so he could steal the show and knock him off balance? Was it Obama's "Nuclear Madagascar", something he would unleash at the dying moments of a losing campaign in an effort to win? Or was it something he was saving for his second term when, instead of worrying about winning another election, it was time to work on his legacy?
Of course, it's hard to know the truth. Maybe when Biden finally made his views public Obama had an "Ah ha!" moment. But more likely Obama had arrived at this decision long ago and was more worried about the political ramifications of voicing what he believes rather than simply doing what is right, telling the public his opinion (i.e. not lying by saying he is still mulling it over), and letting the chips fall as they may.
Now, I remember long ago writing a facebook note in support of Obama saying we did need a cool, aloof, calculating person in the presidency. It did seem that it would be nice change after 8 years of Texas shoot from the hip and ask questions later politics. But now I am not so sure. While I tend to agree with Obama's policies (sort of), I dislike his politics intensely, and in all honesty I don't think I "like" him very much.
There is such a thing as being too political, too aloof, too calculating. As this recent event shows, Obama is just that.
But please Vote for him anyway.
"Nuclear Madagascar" is not the 4th installment of the popular Madagascar movie franchise, but rather a strategy in the game of Risk where one slowly builds up troop levels on the isolated territory of Madagascar so as to make it unassailable. This will either force your opponents to divert their own resources to contain the threat allowing you the ability to take them on elsewhere OR they will choose to ignore it, giving you the ability to unleash a devastating, desperate final attack as you cling to a couple territories here and there.
The strategy was famously employed against Cornwallis by George Washington just before the battle of Yorktown, when Cornwallis generously invited Washington to his headquarters for some snacks after his long, hard march from New York. Cornwallis was rather surprised to see Washington at his doorsteps with an army in tow, but surmising that his adversary must be rather peckish after such a long walk did the gentlemanly thing and offered him some tea and crumpets.
After the cloth was drawn away and the commanders were left with their Madeira, Cornwallis politely suggested a board game to while away the time before the inevitable siege of his positions began. Washington's experience as a surveyor had made him a famously good Monopoly player and his steady hands made him unbeatable at Operation, but he was desperate to go toe to toe with Cornwallis on his own intellectual turf and therefore made the bold choice of Risk.
The territories were divided between the two military master minds and the game proceeded along classical lines. Cornwallis consolidated his hold on North America (at which he did grin) and Washington took the lesser prize of Australia. After a bitter battle in Southern Europe, Washington had to abandon Europe but Cornwallis was checked in Venezuela and so South America went to Washington.
An epic battle for Asia now ensued as the Generals played deep into the night. A foray from Siam left Washington without the continent of Australia and Washington's beleaguered blue pieces had been pushed back into Kamchatka, from which there was no escape. But now it Washington's turn to grin, for Cornwallis had been neglecting the fact Washington had been steadily building up his troops in Madagascar. The territory was so isolated that Cornwallis considered Washington well contained, but now Washington's men swooped out of the territory, quickly took Africa, and sunk their teeth into Cornwallis weak European underbelly.
It took a lot of doing, and Cornwallis refused to give up, but at last as the sun started to rise over the Chesapeake Bay, setting the sky alight and providing an allegory for the light of liberty that was soon to envelope white male property owners throughout God's country, Cornwallis at last admitted to himself the fact that he had been defeated. Wishing to not prolong his agony he protested that he must attend to the cares of his men, and no doubt Washington must do the same. Washington could have been a dick about it and protested that the game be played out in full, but he was too much the gentleman and allowed Cornwallis this face saving move. The two stood up, wished each other luck in the ensuing battle, and took their leave of each other.
The two men would never meet face to face again. Cornwallis had his confidence badly shaken and went into a steep depression.
The rest is history. The continentals won the day and the British stacked their arms and marched off the field. Liberty had been secured, and the first death knells of the British Empire were sounded; 200 years after those first peals of freedom rang so loud and deep, it fell.
No comments:
Post a Comment