Barack, the Conservative Choice

By Dave
Mar 27th 2008 1:44PM

Filed Under:eBarack Obama, 2008 President

Well I guess if you want to write contrarian articles that grab attention, alleging that Barack is the best choice for conservatives isn't a bad place to start. But it takes a long time in this column to get to the nugget. Much time is spent first on explaining how both Bush and McCain are not conservative. This, of course, is no surprise to anyone who's been paying attention, but the columnist acts as if I should be surprised, so I'll play along.


Fact: GWB is not a conservative.


Me: No way! oh wait, now that you mention it, high spending + Medicare entitlements, + no child left behind, Egad! you're right, Bush isn't a conservative and I only just now realized it! Thank you sir for pointing out the obvious.


But on to the main point here, which is why, after explaining how the Republican candidates are not conservatives, why they should turn to Obama (of all people!)


So why consider Obama? For one reason only: because this liberal Democrat has promised to end the U.S. combat role in Iraq. Contained within that promise, if fulfilled, lies some modest prospect of a conservative revival.

To appreciate that possibility requires seeing the Iraq War in perspective. As an episode in modern military history, Iraq qualifies at best as a very small war. Yet the ripples from this small war will extend far into the future, with remembrance of the event likely to have greater significance than the event itself. How Americans choose to incorporate Iraq into the nation's historical narrative will either affirm our post-Cold War trajectory toward empire or create opportunities to set a saner course.

And there it is. to Andrew Bacevich, the defining issue for conservatism is whether to limit or expand American efforts to police the world. Everything else (taxes, abortion, limited government, everything!) pales in significance. And because Obama is the only candidate likely to stop a "march toward empire". Conservatives should support him.


This is of course a steaming load of you-know-what. The argument of involvement in the world versus minding our own business goes all the way back to the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, (if not before) who campaigned, indeed embodied the idea of minding our own business and rugged individualism.


So of course among the first things he does as president is doubles the size of the country then building a navy and sending it to fight pirates across the ocean (Muslim pirates at that). Which means that Americans would like to mind our own business, but it never seems to be a practical option. No change here and now on that either.


But all this goes to say that it is absurd to say that conservatives, as such, will necessarily land on one side or the other of the question about policing the world. And so much for the conservatives for Obama argument.

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