When Even Allies Seem Like Adversaries
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
NYT
WASHINGTON — President Obama’s effort to forge a fresh start with Republicans is the talk of the capital these days. But on Thursday, Mr. Obama’s increasingly complicated relationship with his own party was on full display as the two issues that most define his presidency — the economy and the war in Afghanistan — merged on the Washington stage.
With the House approving the tax-cut package Mr. Obama negotiated with Republicans, the president appears to have dragged Democrats into a bipartisan compromise, overcoming objections from the left that he had given up too much and showing that, on the economy at least, he is less inclined than he once was to let his party’s Congressional leaders take the lead on big policy fights.
Mr. Obama’s Afghanistan strategy review similarly raised questions about the degree to which he will have to deal with Republicans to offset qualms about his approach among Democrats. In making clear that he intends to stick to his July 2011 date for beginning a troop withdrawal, while at the same time signaling that the military retain a presence until 2014, Mr. Obama seemed to be trying to placate uneasy Democrats, who are pressing for a clear exit strategy, while reassuring Republicans, whose support he will need, that he will not bring a rash end to the war.
As he moves closer to his 2012 re-election campaign, Mr. Obama’s relations with Democrats on these issues and others will only grow trickier. Already, Democrats like Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont are openly urging the president not to forget his own party, and warning that if he does so, it will be at his own political peril.
(More here.)
NYT
WASHINGTON — President Obama’s effort to forge a fresh start with Republicans is the talk of the capital these days. But on Thursday, Mr. Obama’s increasingly complicated relationship with his own party was on full display as the two issues that most define his presidency — the economy and the war in Afghanistan — merged on the Washington stage.
With the House approving the tax-cut package Mr. Obama negotiated with Republicans, the president appears to have dragged Democrats into a bipartisan compromise, overcoming objections from the left that he had given up too much and showing that, on the economy at least, he is less inclined than he once was to let his party’s Congressional leaders take the lead on big policy fights.
Mr. Obama’s Afghanistan strategy review similarly raised questions about the degree to which he will have to deal with Republicans to offset qualms about his approach among Democrats. In making clear that he intends to stick to his July 2011 date for beginning a troop withdrawal, while at the same time signaling that the military retain a presence until 2014, Mr. Obama seemed to be trying to placate uneasy Democrats, who are pressing for a clear exit strategy, while reassuring Republicans, whose support he will need, that he will not bring a rash end to the war.
As he moves closer to his 2012 re-election campaign, Mr. Obama’s relations with Democrats on these issues and others will only grow trickier. Already, Democrats like Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont are openly urging the president not to forget his own party, and warning that if he does so, it will be at his own political peril.
(More here.)
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