Sullivan is Such An Obama Shill

I find it annoying. Sullivan is a great writer and incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the world. But he isn't objective. He gets all wrapped up and gung ho about one side or the other. When I first started reading him - it was the anti-war left who received most of his contempt. Then it switched to Bush when the war went sour. And then it turned into Obama gushing.

The problem is - he espouses doubt as a critical principal - his doubt about human nature and the ability to change the world is what grounds him as a conservative. It also drives his religious beliefs and is why he supports Obama - because he thinks Obama better reflects doubt and nuance than the certainty of the Bush administration and now, his perception of McCain.

What I find annoying: he espouses doubt, but doesn't apply it to any of his own positions. He passionately takes up causes and goes berserk over them, constantly criticizing those who disagree for their lack of doubt, and yet, expresses none of his own. He was flat-out wrong about the surge and to take his own position, wrong about the initial invasion. And he wasn't just subtly wrong - he was hugely, passionately wrong. Read his old columns about supporting the Iraq invasion, full of moral righteousness about removing Saddam, the evil dictator with WMDs and deriding the anti-war left for their inability to see evil when confronted with it. And then the turn around and tossing all of his anger towards the Bush administration for screwing the pooch and then railing against the surge as a continuation of a failed strategy. Yet it was precisely the opposite, a change in strategy that has salvaged either the war itself, or at the very least, saving the Iraq project from a total disaster. Either way, Sullivan was wrong.

I'll give him credit to copping to it later - he recognizes Gates and Patraeus's contributions to turning things around and if you agree with his anti-war positions - coming around to that as well after supporting the initial invasion. But one would think he might want to temper his ranting and raving and righteousness after being self-admittedly wrong so many times before about especially big issues to him.

In any case, this rant of my own came about from a small detail. He mentions in his Obama gush-fest McCain's inability to look at Obama throughout the debate and even afterwards as they shake hands. He interprets this as insecurity. Uh no. This is contempt. Or maybe something a bit more mild. McCain truly doesn't feel Obama belongs on the same stage as him. He thinks he's better than Obama. He may be right or may be wrong. But it isn't rooted in insecurity at all. It is rooted in a deep sense of "I'm better than him and can't believe no one else sees it but me." Again, McCain may be wrong, but it is arrogance which makes him feel this way, not insecurity. (Please no one try to make the bs psychoanalytical connection between the two). Look - the way McCain sees it - he served his country and performed his duty with honor. He fought for this country and lived in a Hanoi pit of hell for five years to save his honor. At a similar age, Obama spent time community organizing - a fru-fru profession trying to save the world with no obvious success in doing so and attending law school and working for a few years at a law firm. McCain was getting his teeth bashed in. Then, McCain comes home and works as Maverick Senator for 25 years, reaching across the aisle to try and govern and make this country a better place, learning first hand detail about our nations wars and foreign policy, the nature of different countries and their governments, trying to fix corruption in Washington and doing campaign finance reform. He fought with Democrats, he fought with Republicans, and made close friends with people on both sides. He earned everyone's respect by being himself and building relationships and governing well. Meanwhile, Obama, who is undoubtedly a bright young man, hits upon a wave of cultural popularity - he is a cultural phenomenon. Which is why McCain compared him to Britney Spears...three years ago no one knew who this guy was. But suddenly, he's got Che Guevera like buttons and shirts. Again, I don't this this tells the whole story, but I think it at least explains McCain's contempt for not Obama - the person, but Obama-the phenomenon. All McCain has done is live his life as an exceptional person, whereas Obama hit the jackpot and has become a figurehead of a cultural moment.

This is why McCain can't look at the guy.