Blogs and Stories
Obama the Hawk?
By the time of the 2008 election, the constituencies who had no objection to the responsible use of US military power when necessary included not only conservative and centrist Democrats but also many progressives who had been convinced in the 1990s or following September 11 that there can be outcomes worse than war. At the beginning of the 21st century, mainstream liberalism in America has made its peace with the use of force on behalf of US interests and international order. Support for prudent uses of military force no longer disqualifies a Democratic politician from being an authentic liberal. And in the new universe of liberal politics, being reflexively antiwar no longer makes much sense, if it ever did. One can be against particular wars, but in an anarchic world in which self-help is the rule, it makes no more sense to oppose all wars in principle than it does to oppose all uses of force by domestic police.
Ironically, while the antiwar left has shrunken, the pro-war right has taken over the Republican Party. Largely because of the party’s domination by Southern conservatives, who have always formed a militaristic subculture in a civilian nation, many Republicans impulsively appear to support any war, against any enemy, at any time, for any purpose. The militarists of the right, who are reflexively in favor of war as such, are the mirror image of the anti-militarists of the left—but far more influential in their party today.
The antiwar left, increasingly divided over Obama, is beginning to resemble the marginal coalition on the left that denounced Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Harry Truman as tyrannical warmongers. Obama is justified in brushing them off his shoulders.
Michael Lind is the Whitehead senior fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C., and the author of The American Way of Strategy. He has been a staff writer or senior editor at The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, The New Republic, and The National Interest.
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Obama's Midwest Blunder
Michael Lind is the editor of New American Contract at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C., and the author of The American Way of Strategy. He has been a staff writer or senior editor at the New Yorker, Harper’s magazine, the New Republic, and the National Interest.
What He Should Have Said
Michael Lind is the editor of New American Contract at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C., and the author of The American Way of Strategy. He has been a staff writer or senior editor at the New Yorker, Harper’s magazine, the New Republic, and the National Interest.
Stop the Democratic Suicide
Michael Lind is the editor of New American Contract at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C., and the author of The American Way of Strategy. He has been a staff writer or senior editor at the New Yorker, Harper’s magazine, the New Republic, and the National Interest.
I seem to recall Obama hedging a bit then modifying his statements on Iraq. He was as specific as a candidate could be on Afghanistan.
Although it's not just baby boomers in the anti war far left peace faction, I'd love to see a piece on the waning influence of baby boomers in the Democratic party and/or society altogether. From classic hippie to suburban conservatives.
I appreciated the early influence and push to the left that is mostly contributed to the boomers, but don't appreciate the sort of entitled attitude that seems to come well before any well meaning ideas. It's a little Hillary-during-the-election like
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