If you don’t recall the name, Adelman – uber neo-con, Iraq war cheerleader and leading chickenhawk – is a PNAC member and has worked for Reagan and Rumsfeld. He is famous for his op-ed in the Washington Post entitled "Cakewalk in Iraq". It was published on February 13, 2002 and made the case for an easy victory in Iraq – a cakewalk, if you will. In it, Adelman wrote:
I believe demolishing Hussein’s military power and liberating Iraq would be a cakewalk. Let me give simple, responsible reasons: (1) It was a cakewalk last time; (2) they’ve become much weaker; (3) we’ve become much stronger; and (4) now we’re playing for keeps.
So much for that.
Now, he has abandoned John McCain and says he will vote for Obama. Adelman writes in an email to George Packer:
Why so, since my views align a lot more with McCain’s than with Obama’s? And since I truly dread the notion of a Democratic president, Democratic House, and hugely Democratic Senate?
Primarily for two reasons, those of temperament and of judgment.
When the economic crisis broke, I found John McCain bouncing all over the place. In those first few crisis days, he was impetuous, inconsistent, and imprudent; ending up just plain weird. Having worked with Ronald Reagan for seven years, and been with him in his critical three summits with Gorbachev, I’ve concluded that that’s no way a president can act under pressure.
Second is judgment. The most important decision John McCain made in his long campaign was deciding on a running mate.
That decision showed appalling lack of judgment. Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being acceptable in high office—I would not have hired her for even a mid-level post in the arms-control agency. But that selection contradicted McCain’s main two, and best two, themes for his campaign—Country First, and experience counts. Neither can he credibly claim, post-Palin pick.
I sure hope Obama is more open, centrist, sensible—dare I say, Clintonesque—than his liberal record indicates, than his cooperation with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid portends. If not, I will be even more startled by my vote than I am now.
Clearly the selection of Sarah Palin has had two very extreme reactions in Republican circles. On the one hand you have Rich Lowry who sees starbursts every time Palin winks, and on the other side you have disoriented neo-cons voting for that one.
Strange days.
