On Saturday, the day after Obama’s statement, my heart felt good as I introduced Representative Barbara Lee at a Los Angeles fundraiser. In the lightness of her mood I sensed a burden had been lifted from her heart as well.
Some of the hundred people in the room were baffled by the Obama withdrawal decision—understandably so, after a decade of several wars, a stolen election that led directly to Bush’s Iraq invasion….
This again? Who knew Tom Hayden was such a party man?
A certain jadedness has affected our consciousness after this very bad decade. Some people in the room didn’t believe Obama was actually going to pull out of Iraq. He would sneak in 5,000 manipulative mercenaries to take over from the last of the American troops. And what about those other wars? Wasn’t he worse than Bush? Yada yada yada, ad nauseam.
No, he’s swell, Tom. A real champion of the little guy.
Anyone paying attention (which, it turned out, was not too many) could see that Obama was “leading from behind,” in a political sense, on both Iraq and Afghanistan. In Bob Woodward’s history Obama’s Wars, the president is quoted as saying in private, “I can’t lose the whole Democratic Party.” …
We will never know—cannot know and perhaps should not know—what is in a president’s mind, a kind of computer that is storing, retrieving, sending and deleting all at the same time, delivering outcomes that are a mixture of desire, presentation and necessity, all with an inaccessible hard drive. …
Never making a definitive statement, Obama, like the Sphinx…
OK, I’m just going to stop there, but read the rest if you must.
"Leading from behind…?" So that would be 'head-up-ass' pragmatism? Hayden's been irrelevant for a long time. Stay in the pasture old dog, the revolution doesn't need you.
you people leave obama alone, he is a perfect president
Far from perfect, BUT he is trying and deserves respect as OUR President.
I don’t know who this guy is…never heard of him before; however, he's clearly an idiot. I wouldn't be too hard on the guy though…he simply does not have the capability to critically think for himself—much like a small child or someone with mental retardation of some sort. He’s not really the problem in my perspective, because if his Master Obama were out there touting the policies and positions he now portrays as: 'unworkable', 'radical', and 'reactionary' (many of which Mr. Obama actually campaigned on), he would be writing articles about how it is imperative this nation needs "Change"…and that without real "Change", we're doomed.
In short: this idiot does and thinks what he's told and is a dime a dozen. These people are more or less irrelevant all across the political spectrum…other than being useful tools.
Ben, Tom Hayden was a well-known peace activist during the Vietnam era. But I think he needs to go into retirement now, as skulz says.
Never heard of Tom Hayden? Best news I've had this morning.
WOW! You are really young. He was a activist and leader as well as once married to ……………….Oh forget it you won't know her either. OH TO BE YOUNG AGAIN!
Tom H — pioneering member of the ultra-violence advocating New Left gang that has slowly moved into political control of the USA. All previously condemned wars, domestic civil rights violations, clamp downs on free speech, property and contract violations, no-knock police raids, and the Homeland-Security-type police state are now acceptable to keep the enemies of the State in their place. Neo Cons, meet New Left. Marriage Made in Hell for the New World Order…
I found Matt's piece a bit confusing but that probably stems from the Hayden article he criticizes. Hayden's article comes down to "Obama good, no matter what he does." To justify this approach Hayden gets into every detail and comes up with – nothing. In terms of analysis it is gibberish like so much of The Nation under the unprincipled and lame-brained "leadership" of Katrina Vanden Heuval.
Tom Hayden now proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he supports the confiscatory, aggressively-interventionist and murderous Clinton/Obama War State. He warned long ago of the Nixon Fascist State. Now he has enlisted with the new management team.
I think I got enough adjectives in there to describe "Peace-Sign V is for Violence" Tom.
What Mr. Hayden fundamentally doesn’t seem to understand, or conveniently doesn't mention, is that Mr. Obama has done more damage to the "Anti-War" movement in modern history than any other President in recent memory. With this 'situation' in Libya, he's blown the doors completely off any "checks and balances" of the Executive branch's ability to wage war by setting an extremely dangerous president that's probably giving the "neo-cons" wet dreams as they think of all of the ways they will exploit this if, and when, they return to power.
Well said.
Yet Tom Hayden is patting himself, and others, on the back for 'pragmatism' as they help their Dear Leader Obama advance his inherently (at least, from Mr. Hayden's perspective) 'dovish' agenda by providing "cover" for him so he can maintain a "hawkish" like persona so the mainstream won't be on to the fact Mr. Hayden is really calling the shots… Yeah…Iraq kicking us out, as well as Mr. Obama's "legacy" you provide "cover" for, was a clear win for "Antiwar" movement… Please keep up the good work… Shaking my head…
Tom Hayden is the most recent in a drearily long list of former radicals who have found the comforts of the mainstream. He now rhapsodizes about the likes of Gore and Obama, while wagging an admonitory finger at the rest of us who still haven't Grown Up and realized that all the gravy is on the train.
Hope that helps.
Hey Hayden,even your hated Nixon didn't concoct false stories about the VC or North Vietnamese trying to kill French?(take your pick)diplomats in a bald faced lie of warmongering like your puppet Obomba.
Or murdering American citizens trying to win an electoral contest..An evil twit.
I didn't understand the article either, but I will say that "leading from behind" IS usually the best way to lead – only dictators need to get out in front and tell people what to do.