So Where is the Reaction?

In the last two weeks, we have learned from the New York Times and the Washington Post that president Obama has personally been involved in selecting drone targets in the War on Terror. Indeed, there are two sets of drones: military and CIA. The criteria for targeting each set is different and Obama and his staff have, on occasion, shuffled targets from one set to the other in order to assure that the strikes would proceed. So, putting this into English, we have learned that Obama is picking which people to kill and then manipulating the target lists to make sure that the attacks take place. Obama also directed that all males of appropriate age be described as terrorists if they are killed in a drone attack. Again, in English, Obama is intentionally naming all men killed as terrorists in order to keep down the numbers of collateral damage casualties.

So where is the reaction? Where are the marchers outside the White House? Where are the speeches on the floor of the House and Senate? Where are the resolutions by the San Francisco City Council? Indeed, where is Code Pink? When will the petitions appear at the Daily Kos? When will we see the three hour special on MSNBC filled with outraged liberals?

Can it be that killing people and lying about their status as terrorists is not as bad as capturing terrorists and holding them at Guantanamo? Is slaughter somehow more acceptable than waterboarding? Is their no upset that the man who ran by denouncing the war effort is now personally directing automated killing from the skies? We know that Gitmo is still open despite Obama's promise to close it, and that there are no protests from the left about this. We know that Obama sent huge numbers of additional troops to Afghanistan after taking office, and that there are not protests from the left about this. We know that Obama has used drones to target, among others, American citizens and that there are not protests from the left about this. Where are they?

Even what is left of the Occupy crowd does not seem to care about Obama's efforts. There are no demonstrations. There are no petitions. There is no TV coverage by the vast left-wing media establishment. There are no stories highlighting the widows and orphans left after the drone strikes. None. Zilch. Nada.

All that this really reveals is a basic truth: the left does not really care about drone strikes or Guantanamo or Afghanistan or the rights of Americans. The left cares about power. If the leaders on the left can mobilize people by complaining about "abuses" at Guantanamo, then they will do so. If those complaints would hurt Obama, then they will be silent.

It will be interesting to see if there is any response at all to all these recent revelations. I truly do not expect any.