Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

Barack Obama is pathologically afraid of using force. He knows that if he does, he will lose his fanatical base, most of which is pacifistic. In other words, the tail of politics—getting reelected—is wagging the dog of government. What Obama doesn't realize is that his timidity is costing him votes among moderates (those who are neither reliably progressive nor reliably conservative). Wouldn't it be nice if the president were a leader, like George W. Bush, rather than a follower?