Last Tuesday came the news that the Iraqi government had agreed to enter into talks with the US about extending the US military presence in Iraq beyond 2011. What had been whispered was now public. What many had expected was no longer hidden.
And as we watched both the silence and the limited response, we found ourselves thinking back to 2008. Specifically to March 7, 2008. That's when the BBC aired their interview with Samantha Power where she confessed that Barack would not be bound to any promise on the Iraq War he made during the campaign, that he'd decide what he'd do after he got into the White House.
And, as we noted in our March 9, 2008 editorial ("Editorial: The Whores of Indymedia"), oh, how the whores of the Beggar Media stayed silent. John Nichols -- true to form -- didn't stay silent, he lied. But they lied or they stayed silent.
And it's repeating. The Nation worked hard to ignore the announced negotiations. This from the magazine that once announced -- on their cover -- that they would support no candidate who didn't call for an end to the Iraq War. Democracy Now! gave it two lines from Amy Goodman (plus a military official being quoted) in a headline. Two lines from the woman who rode the Iraq War into national fame. Tom Hayden had nothing at all to say. And while that's usually something we like from Tom-Tom, he really needed to speak up on the Iraq War.
All the usual suspects played the quiet game as the White House moved to extend the war.
Then there was Matthew Rothschild of The Progressive. As noted in Wednesday's "Iraq snapshot,"
Rothschild was able to blame the Pentagon but he couldn't blame Barack Obama. He couldn't call out Barack. But negotations are not done by the Pentagon. And a decision to extend the war would be Barack's call.
Barack broke his promise and they all pretended to ignore it. Still babying him, still hoping some day soon he'll walk on his own and go potty like a big boy.
All the liars who swore one day they'd hold Barack's feet to the fire proved that "one day" still hadn't arrived for them and never would.
He keeps breaking promises and trashing the left because so many on the left let him get away with it.
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Illustration is Isaiah's "Pinocchio Obama."