McCain, Obama, and the Dogs of Hate

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Cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war.
—Julius Caesar

Just when I’ve started to get used to the strange, but welcome idea of an African-American progressive Democrat being elected president, I’m also having to absorb the tremendous level of hatred for Barack Obama in the country at large. Frankly, I’m finding this hard to deal with. I don’t think Obama has waged an especially scorched earth campaign as happened during the primary with Hillary Clinton–when her followers did take her loss hard. So I’m finding the hatred hard to account for.

It was the same with Bill Clinton. There was a level of hatred toward him among Republicans that was difficult to attribute to anything he did or said or represented. They were just out for blood and the Republicans’ desperate behavior in mounting their fatally flawed impeachment campaign showed it.

I wish there was some national Rodney King figure who could plaintively implore: “Can’t we just get along?” Where are the better angels of our nature?

I am sure that Obama has learned some lessons from Clinton’s presidency and he will be reaching across the aisle in forming his Cabinet. There will surely be at least one Republican in it as there was in Clinton’s cabinet when he appointed Bill Cohen to be secretary of defense.

You’ll note that George Bush found no need for bipartisanship when he governed and when he formed his Cabinet. Oh, I just remembered Norm Mineta.  But I think being secretary of transporation as he was under Bush is a far cry from secretary of defense.  I just wish a Democratic president might get credit for such significant gestures. But given the level of hatred in the populace, I fear the worst. Obama’s presidency will be confronted by implacable resentment and bitterness I’m afraid, no matter what policies he pursues.