It's good that Obama is as relatively sharp as he is. Spinning as many plates as he is doing requires a vaudevillian's skill. The things is that while he is trying to keep all parties content, they are eventually going to want him to make them happy.

The world is glad that he abhors torture, but the there will come a time when heads must be presented on platters. It's nice that he seems fond of the GLB community, but they will soon want rights. He's placating his party while trying to comfort the more moderate Republicans but real policy battles loom on the horizon and he will not be able to make everyone happy.

Triangulation is not navigation. Compromise/Commiseration is not progress when you take two steps back for every two steps forward.

I'm glad he's managed to avoid completely screwing up, but the time has come for him to risk doing exactly that. It is time to take action that will be remembered 100 years from now, let us hope that it is remembered fondly.

There ARE "heads on platters" and they belonged to the three Somali pirates who were shot by our Navy Seals a few weeks ago.

Torture DOES NOT WORK.

I will repeat this: Torture DOES NOT WORK.

What I learned at OCS when they made me "uncomfortable" was that all it does is piss you off and make you even madder at the bully that you wanted to kill in the first place. The "training" is so that you are less whacked out emotionally when you get out of combat.

However, I would like to see Cheney and Limbaugh water-boarded, not to finally get any truth out of them, but to enjoy seeing them suffer.

I agree with you, but I'm giving Obama the benefit of the thought. For now. Its still very early in his presidency and he has a lot of messes to clean up from the first administration. If he moves too early on issues such as gay marriage, he risks derailing his presidency.

In a year or so, when the economy is back on track, the political calculus will be different. He'll have more political capital and will be able to take bolder stands.

If the bully on the playground beats you up and takes your lunch money do you simply smile and hand it over? And if you do, does the bully feel badly and give it back? Or does he beat you up even worse the next day and take not only your lunch money but also your bicycle and your backpack?

Like most people, I hate the idea that war and torture are necessary evils. However, they are necessary.

The bully won't have a change of heart just because you smile and don't fight back.

When I said "heads on platters" I was talking about the various war criminals that built our system of torture and the twisted legal "justification" for it.

You are correct that torture does not work. Real interrogators and psychologists will tell you that.

I agree with you, but I'm giving Obama the benefit of the thought.

That's 'benefit of the doubt'.

So you put torture in the category of retaliation rather than "intelligence gathering"?

It's a more honest and correct position if you do, but still makes for poor foreign policy.

War can be a necessary evil against an Enemy State. Torture, on the other hand, is entirely useless since it can be used as a recruiting tool, radicalizes those it is inflicted on and does not provide quality intelligence.

Our biggest problem is that we are not fighting an enemy state. We are fighting an abstract enemy on a global stage. War is not the answer but coordinated international policing against the criminals that are committing terrorist acts.

I agree with your post it is way too early to start pointing the finger at Obama.Look at the condition we are in not only as Americans but evens those who live outside the USA are feeling the effects of the Bush adminastration. Nothing happens over night he has alot of things to straighten up. Our economy has really gone down the drain,we lost people in a war the was long and dragged out and for what, just that Bush may have his own self gratification.I wonder what is wrong with our nation!We scream "Oh WE WANT CHANGE" and the minute we get the glimps of hope that we finally get a president that has the potential or the ability to put things back in order we start complaining what he has not done yet.Come on America "WAKE UP" instead of us looking to find fault in our president lets look at what part we took in this mess and what can we do to help the situation. I feel firstly that we as Americans need to get God back into our lives we took pray out of the schools and we ask God to Bless America, what an insult. Secondly we need to do some self examination and thirdly start to live as a nation that has morals, standards and unity. The problem is not that our president is not doing anything, the problem is that we expect so much in such a little time and yet we do not want to do anything to help the situation we rather pass the buck than look at ourselves to see where did we go wrong that caused this crisis.

I THINK AMERICANS WHO COMPLAIN TEND TO BE THOSE TO HELP TEAR DOWN SOCIETY AND REFUSE TO CONTRIBUTE. Its like a baby who refuses to grow up, take his lips from the nipple of the mother, and cry because it can't have its way. To even to begin to complain about Obama shows the selfish toddler bratty narcasistic self entitlement attitude that got us in trouble with the rest of the world to begin with. Instead of educating ourselves with the resources we did have, sharing with one another, learning about economics and technology or being thankful with at least minimal humility, we would choose instead to continue to complain for what we believe Obama is not doing for us. "Ask not what Obama can do for you, but what you can do for your country." What could we have done for our country had we, 1st) not sold out our fellow citizens as bankers with fraudulant (sp?) bank practices that sent millions into forclosure, 2nd) not gotten rid of affirmative action only to have much of the labor force taken over by unqualified undocumented workers or unqualified immigrants (and their cousins) and now those who got rid of affirmative action would like to partner with blacks, women and other minorities for those jobs back (when you have 90% of the workforce promised to you, why would choose to pull the rug from under the mere 10%- now we need affirmative action for legal Americans, everyone.) 3rd) why do inner city citizens choose to be gang bangers, drug addicts and dealers and not take advantage of available education and then blame the man when sleeping until 3 pm in the afternoon high when Martin Luther King specifically said that he prayed that we would not be judged by the color of our skin but the content of character.....where is the character. I believe it is ludacris to believe that Obama is to carry a full burden of responsiblity. We are co-laborers with him to get this country on track. He is not our butler. Get your self-righteous asses up and if you can do 1/100th of the job Obama is doing, this country can take progress toward a better future.

Brianna, if you are more than twenty-three or so it would surprise the crap out of me. Your post shows a decidedly juvenile outlook of life.

How can we even begin to point a finger at Obama?

Because we grew up during the Cold War. Because we are aware that Socialism does not work. Because hundreds of thousands of soldiers have given their lives for the freedom and democracy that you so enjoy.

That's how we dare to point a finger, Brianna.

Socs: But you can't condone torture

It's degrading and inhuman - and that's the affect on the torturer

If you think it's ok for your side to do it then you can't complain if the other side do it to yours.