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High time for the nitty-gritty
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02/22/10 12:48 PM ET
The postmortems on
President Barack Obama's first tumultuous year in office keep pouring in,
and anyone interested in where things went wrong should read the most
telling one of all, Dana Milbank's column from Sunday's
Washington Post.
Milbank isn't buying the conventional wisdom: that it's time for Rahm Emanuel to go the way of chiefs of staff to faltering presidents — out the door. Instead, Milbank argues that had Obama listened to Emanuel's advice, he wouldn't find himself in the political trouble he's in now, and that Emanuel is "the only person keeping Obama from becoming Jimmy Carter." The list of Emanuel's recommendations that Obama ignored, according to Milbank, is long. To begin with, on national security policy Emanuel knew Guantanamo Bay couldn't be closed in a year and that the president shouldn't promise to do so. But after siding instead with White House counsel Greg Craig, whom he later let go, Obama fell into his very first self-imposed trap. That deadline, to close the prison by Jan. 22, 2010, passed a month ago today, and the settling of the question of the 200 detainees who remain is not even close to being resolved.
Emanuel also argued against plans to hold a civilian trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York City, and that hasn't turned out so well for the administration, either. Most importantly, Emanuel counseled the president to work to pass incremental healthcare reform, and the president instead chose a massive overhaul that threatens Democratic control of the House and Senate and possibly his own reelection in 2012.
"Early on Emanuel argues for a smaller bill with popular items, such as expanding health coverage for children and young adults, that could win some Republican support. He opposed the public option as a needless distraction," writes Milbank. "Had it gone Emanuel's way, a politically popular health-care bill would have passed long ago, leaving plenty of time for other attractive priorities, such as efforts to make college more affordable. We would have seen a continuation of the momentum of the first half of 2009, when Obama followed Emanuel's strategy and got 11 substantive bills on his desk before the August recess."
Obama ignored the lessons Emanuel learned when working for President Bill Clinton, that "big-sized proposals add up to big things," writes Milbank. Why did Obama sideline the man he chose to be chief of staff? Because, Milbank argues, his other confidants — Valerie Jarrett, David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs — are "part of the cult of Obama. In love with the president, they believe he is a transformational figure who needn't dirty his hands in politics."
Looks like it's time to get dirty.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM THE HEALTHCARE SUMMIT? Ask A.B. returns Tuesday, Feb. 23. Please join my weekly video Q&A by sending your questions and comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thank you.
Milbank isn't buying the conventional wisdom: that it's time for Rahm Emanuel to go the way of chiefs of staff to faltering presidents — out the door. Instead, Milbank argues that had Obama listened to Emanuel's advice, he wouldn't find himself in the political trouble he's in now, and that Emanuel is "the only person keeping Obama from becoming Jimmy Carter." The list of Emanuel's recommendations that Obama ignored, according to Milbank, is long. To begin with, on national security policy Emanuel knew Guantanamo Bay couldn't be closed in a year and that the president shouldn't promise to do so. But after siding instead with White House counsel Greg Craig, whom he later let go, Obama fell into his very first self-imposed trap. That deadline, to close the prison by Jan. 22, 2010, passed a month ago today, and the settling of the question of the 200 detainees who remain is not even close to being resolved.
Emanuel also argued against plans to hold a civilian trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York City, and that hasn't turned out so well for the administration, either. Most importantly, Emanuel counseled the president to work to pass incremental healthcare reform, and the president instead chose a massive overhaul that threatens Democratic control of the House and Senate and possibly his own reelection in 2012.
"Early on Emanuel argues for a smaller bill with popular items, such as expanding health coverage for children and young adults, that could win some Republican support. He opposed the public option as a needless distraction," writes Milbank. "Had it gone Emanuel's way, a politically popular health-care bill would have passed long ago, leaving plenty of time for other attractive priorities, such as efforts to make college more affordable. We would have seen a continuation of the momentum of the first half of 2009, when Obama followed Emanuel's strategy and got 11 substantive bills on his desk before the August recess."
Obama ignored the lessons Emanuel learned when working for President Bill Clinton, that "big-sized proposals add up to big things," writes Milbank. Why did Obama sideline the man he chose to be chief of staff? Because, Milbank argues, his other confidants — Valerie Jarrett, David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs — are "part of the cult of Obama. In love with the president, they believe he is a transformational figure who needn't dirty his hands in politics."
Looks like it's time to get dirty.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM THE HEALTHCARE SUMMIT? Ask A.B. returns Tuesday, Feb. 23. Please join my weekly video Q&A by sending your questions and comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thank you.
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