18 March 2011

Speaking of symbolic actions

Obama seemed to be getting along just fine handling Egypt and Tunisia. And now this...

Between the utter disaster that has been the administration's civil liberties track record, its refusal to account for immoral and immodest foreign policy initiatives of both its own and of Bushv2.0, its punitive measures against whistleblowers to the point of inhumane treatment (Bradley Manning and even his media allies), and its now modest embrace of escalating wars against countries with whom we have no strategic interests at stake (and no means of ensuring that even useful moral imperatives like humanitarian constraints will result in "good outcomes"), I have decided that he can go fuck himself.

I don't care who runs against him now. I'm not voting for him even if Palin had a serious shot at winning. Of course, she still doesn't. In fact things like this make it even less likely since there's nothing for them to argue over since liberal internationalism is basically the same policy outcomes as neo-conservatism, complete with hawkish impracticalities, and dismissive attitudes toward realistic concerns and questions about "mission objectives" and "necessary forces and military commitments to achieve long-term goals". Now, I didn't vote for Obama in the first place (nor that idiot McCain), but I had held out the weak hope that the country would be modestly better off than if some moron Republican candidate (Romney, Pawlenty, Gingrich, etc) ended up in office and my semi-weak endorsements would be among many who opposed such an outcome. Now I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter who ends up in office, policy outcomes that I would like to see engaged with, on national security (more security theater?, no thanks), on foreign policy (Afghanistan, Iraq, and now more of the same in Libya, ending up at best like Kosovo?), and on domestic issues (ending the drug war, having serious budget discussions and taking their policy suggestions seriously), will not be treated with any importance by anyone who is broadly considered a candidate for this high office.

I will instead focus my energy on opposing and marshaling opposition to the insanity of local and state laws for occupational licensing and DC can go to hell for all I care.

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