Comment by foundZero

Entered on: 3/20/2009 11:24:57 AM

It's an important point to understand although it comes with some pain. The antiwar left has been on-and-off-again for it's entire history, and not just when dems are in office. Now we could be seeing the "Sheehan effect" when the centrist liberal groups such as MoveOn actually suppress criticism of the Obama administration, and it's been speculated that Leslie over at MFPJ as co-opted but this remains to be seen.

With all the Obama-mania, it's no wonder they can't mobilize right now.

Our "excuse" is anti-war has never been as central a plank as matters-domestic. We're an inward-focussed movement in an inward-focussed land. And there's that conservative tendency to want to "support the troops" by keeping cohesion here at home (like Chinese make yellow ribbons stickers did anything anyways). However justly or unjustly, war just fits into the rest of the spectrum of stupidity and danger in oppressive regimes.

But give the thing some time. Obama is a radical change in where the lines are drawn in the liberal camps. Look at it how Kissinger would look at it: the antiwar left will divide from the Obama camp because we know Obama will continue militarist foreign policy. We know the antiwar left will find out about it, they are often as good researchers as we are. And we know some of their icons will call it like it is. Poof. There it is! And now I ask you, where else do they have to go for friends?