ODS Revisited

Ed at Hot Air has just posted a piece called "The Onset of ODS". Essentially, he's calling out Rep. Paul Broun for bringing up Obama's "civilian national security force"- oh yeah, and any anyone else who questions it too apparently.

Now, let's see what Ed said,

If we plan to offer a rational alternative to the coming debacle of the next two years, then we’d better stick to facts and eschew hyperbole. We need to oppose the reality of the radical agenda proposed by Obama and the Democratic majorities in Congress, not fantasies spun out of context-free snippets of speeches.

Fair enough? Well, no, not really. Broun may have erred in bringing up the spectre of Nazi Germany in talking about Obama's plan and mentioning the Gestapo (back in the summer, the SA, the Brownshirts, was generally supposed to be the more apt comparison for what it's worth). Ed is quick to criticise discussing Obama's plan, dismissing it as nothing more than this-

In the context of Obama’s remarks above, though, he fairly clearly meant to at least include a volunteer force in outreach within and outside the US as some sort of Department of Peace-like indirect boost to national security. Nothing in that speech hints at a Gestapo-like organization at all.

No, of course not. By saying "we need a national security force as strong and as powerful and as well funded as the military" you obviously assume Obama meant a peaceful group which would only indirectly help with national security. Right? That's perfectly logical isn't it?

But- and it's a big but- during the summer Ed also said this about the proposed group-

On July 2nd, Obama spoke in Colorado Springs and hit themes of national service, foreign policy, and national security. In that vein, Obama proposed a rather extraordinary idea — that the US should spend as much money on a civilian national security force as it does on the military.

The phrasing of it — a “civilian national security force” — sounds much more like a quasi-military organization operating within the US under the control of the federal government.

Obama needs to clarify what he means by “civilian national security force”, and how it would be funded. After all, we have a panoply of federal security agencies already: FBI, BATF, DEA, and more, plus the National Guard on the state level. Where would Obama get the money to fund it at the same level as the Pentagon? What would its mission be, and where would it get its authority? What would be the lines of jurisdiction?

So, in short, precisely the same sorts of concerns that those labelled as being ODS-sufferers now are actually asking.

The movement on the Right to stamp out what they see as being unreasonable criticism of Obama now that he's won the election is- it seems- an extension beyond the "he's our President too, let's be gracious" stage and has now descended into actually slandering those asking perfectly legitimate questions out of some fear that BDS might break out on the Right. Thus far, all this criticism aimed at their own ranks is targeting those who refuse to forget Obama's radical and dangerous links (including those who refuse to accept the notion that the election has somehow magically purified him of all this) and those who are paying close attention to the policies the Obama camp is putting out.

So, if you're wondereing why Obama would deliver a speech calling for a civilian national security force with equivalent strength, power and funding to the US military to, you know, assist with national security Ed thinks you're being deranged.

We need to oppose the reality of the radical agenda proposed by Obama and the Democratic majorities in Congress, not fantasies spun out of context-free snippets of speeches.

Yeah, you fringe kook you, he's telling you, why on Earth are you actually listening to the evidence of your own ears and the words coming out of Barack Obama's mouth? And pay no heed to the fact that I was asking exactly the same questions a little while ago.



Don't you know how nuts you make conservatives look when you question why a man just elected President wants to create a force as powerful as the US military- to enforce national security in the USA? It's so unreasonable and it might make us look bad- just forget Barack even said anything.