President Barack Obama announces in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, that he will name current Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough as his next chief of staff. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Is President Barack Obama a radical or a socialist?
How is this charge consistent with his 1) supporting the three free-trade agreements; 2) escalating the war in Afghanistan; 3) being slow to support the Arab spring; 4) not holding accountable those who lied us into Iraq; 5) resuming military trials of detainees; 6) not prosecuting those responsible for frauds that precipitating the economic debacle; 7) giving bailouts to businesses with few strings; 8) hunting down and executing Osama bin Laden and the Yemani al-Qaida Americans?
Perhaps the labels come from his sops to his base: l) health care reforms (but not a single-payer system); 2) ending "don't ask, don't tell" in the military (but not making a forthright statement justifying a nondiscriminatory policy); 3) retaining the too-big-to-fail policy after staffing his administration with Goldman Sachs allies; 4) tepid response to the illegal immigration issue.
Conclusion: He's a pragmatist, making compromises that encourage his Republican foes to dig in and demand more capitulations.
So why is there such vitriolic hostility toward him? The likely answer is racism.