What if he really wants to be impeached?

by Smitty

Jimmie Bise at the Sundries Shack wonders if the KSM trial is an act of political suicide, and then considers that it might be about airing more Bush laundry, effectively putting W on trial by proxy:

the trial does give the President a chance to make the pouty lip about the sins of America, which the world could love if only she’d throw off the bleak cloak of Bushism, while promising that he’ll put everything. But that’s his go-to and I’m pretty sure that’s he’s practiced that routine enough to do it whether KSM is standing tall before a judge in Manhattan or a military tribunal in Gitmo.

Shanon Love thinks that blurring the civil/military distinction is all about bringing martial law to America:

For over two hundred years we were careful to keep a firewall between civil and martial law. We did so because civil and martial law are polar opposites. Civil law is focused on protecting the rights of the accused against the overwhelming power of the state. When there is doubt, the accused walks free. Martial law is focused on imposing a minimal order on bloody chaos. It was focused on allowing the military to complete its mission and win wars. When there is doubt, the accused is presumed guilty.

Now, Obama wants to bring martial law into a civil court room in Manhattan. In order to let a civil conviction of KSM stand, the higher courts will have to overturn almost all the current constitutional protections of the accused.

Neo-Neocon has a fascinating read, which prompts my main point: "Obama the Heartthrob: The End of the Affair?"

...Obama has some of the qualities of the best con artists. That's not to say that Obama is literally a con man; he's not pulling the old Spanish Prisoner scam. But he shares more than a few of their attributes.

Obama held himself out to be one thing during the election (a bipartisan moderate), and on taking office became quite the opposite. Cons, like Obama, are ordinarily out to deceive people as to their true purposes. But it's an error to think they come across as sleazy. The most effective ones are unusually likeable and charming, even as they pull off their scams. This likeability is not a tangential characteristic of con artists, either; it is a central one.

"Con", after all, is short for "confidence". The con artist works by gaining the victim's confidence and trust. The successful con artist is so very likeable, in fact, that he seems especially credible, and people who might otherwise be wary and cynical drop their guard around him. They don't examine him too closely, so great is their desire to believe.

Contradictions are waved away. Acts that would arouse suspicion if they were committed by someone else are excused. Important omissions go unnoticed. Inconsistencies are rationalized. Shady company is defended or ignored. Sound familiar?

The con artist is able to gain trust by using the right vocal inflections to fit the mark (or, in Obama's case, the audience), changing accents and speech patterns to match. In addition, a con doesn't usually stay in one place very long (it has been remarked how often Obama changed jobs) because, although people may not catch on to his game all that quickly, he is afraid that if he sticks around they eventually will.

We've had the endless repetition of the raaaaacism trope for all who disagree. Given the rest of the seeming America-hatred evidenced by the administration, does a possible exit strategy emerge?

One wonders if the whole political career was just a High Society play. We have this landmark election. He goes around and makes speeches. He gives vast financial gifts to his old friends. He plays the apologist.

What will BHO do when the struggle becomes boring?

I submit that the continued provocations such as the KSM trial, the obsession with the previous administration, the wrenching changes from spendthrift to fiscal hawk could, if he's a committed con man, be deliberate provocations towards impeachment.

I'm throwing out the idea that the ultimate Blame America piece will be when, pushed beyond all tolerance, there is a serious demand for impeachment. The con has reaped all of the desired financial rewards, and needs to exit the stage before the bankruptcy of the domestic policy meets the bankruptcy of the foreign policy somewhere around his head. The shiny factor of being POTUS is all drained away, leaving more disgruntled voters than W ever faced.

This is a bizarre possibility. I'd laugh at it, if not for the series of bizarre incidents that form 2009.

Update: Pat in Shreveport explores the possibility that the KSM trial is a national security vs. civil liberties call, linking some John Yoo analysis. I think it's all farce, crap, and a giant "screw you" to the American people.