Chicago Republicans

Today is an important test for the people of Afghanistan. It will test their fortitude and ability to stand up against Taliban thugs who threaten their lives as they cast votes in today's election. It will also test the strength of the American military and our willingness to fight for Afghans to exercise this precious right. And it will test the commitment of both countries to keeping Afghanistan free, democratic and pro-Western. It will be one of Obama's important indicators as the Commander-In-Chief, and whether he has listened to the boots on the ground rather than the anti-war rhetoric of his leftist patrons. I hope and pray it is a test that he passes and that he has guessed right. These days it is becoming clear, at least from the dramatically dropping poll numbers, that Americans don't think he is doing so well. The strong sentiment against nationalized healthcare and ambiguous insurance reform and now the lack of consumer confidence in the economy and the effect of the stimulus suggest that he has not solved the financial crisis and may not understand how to. It has certainly kept much of talk radio abuzz and has enabled conservatives to criticize this Administration quite intelligently and effectively. But do not underestimate the liberals' ability to go from defense to offense. The latest talking point, aimed at moderates and independents, is that conservatives cannot be trusted to be objective; it doesn't matter what Obama does, conservatives will attack and criticize and their blind hatred will cause them not only to miss but denounce his true successes. It falls just short of saying to "Hey, if Obama has missed on some big items, even a broken clock is right twice a day" and based on this, conservatives have to give him some credit somewhere. As a result, conservatives will have to find something nice to say just to defend their objectivity. My guess is that conservatives will be forced to concede that Obama is doing the right thing in Afghanistan, especially if the elections go well. But what if they do not? The argument will be that Obama has adopted the military's and Bush's surge strategies so his policy should be supported by conservatives. Will critical conservatives be accused of jumping on a purely "anti-Obama band wagon" that liberals will claim thwarts conservative intellectual integrity? Would liberals be brazen enough to make such an argument? And will conservatives have the courage to defend against such a claim?

My defense of "conservative criticism" is this: it is not just the actions and policies of this administration to which conservatives object, but the very principles upon which they are based. It is hard to commend someone who may accidently stumble onto success when the very intention of the action is objectionable. Yes, Kant still matters. There is a strong sense among conservatives that Obama's ultimate guiding principle is not what is right or right for this country but one of political expediency. Regardless of the outcome of the elections, or the short term peace brought on by a surge, there are serious doubts about his commitment to making sure Afghan is truly safer. You may ask then, why doesn't political expediency cause him to back off of unpopular healthcare reform? Possibly because conservatives are unsure or fear that another guiding principle is an egotistical goal of rewriting American history. Concerns about Obama's true motive and guiding principles are not unfounded and we should all be wary about his newest claim that government controlled health care is a "moral imperative". Does he even know what that means, and has he ever been guided by such? Again, we should always be free to question his motives and brush up on our Kantian ethics. Obama seems to forget clearly that morality arises not from mandates but the freedom to choose what is right.