Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Suspect in Central Point homicide found in attic Emergency services The meaning behind Veterans Day RCC offers several free health classes Grandmother hopes to buy a marker in girl's memory Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Suspect in Central Point homicide found in attic Emergency services Emergency Services Couple accused of robbing Dutch Bros. stand in Medford Driver crashes after attempting to pass on Hwy. 140 Politics and Elections Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls Ballot measures played little role in mobilizing voters in state Senate race 'Euphoria' over pot initiative Oregon voters narrowly reject GMO labeling measure Statewide voter turnout close to 70 percent Education Good news for SOU: Enrollment's up Mom gives school lobby a makeover Crater students present play about Thoreau's night in jail Half of Oregon's community college enrollees need remedial classes Marketta Gregory: Stretch yourself for God Environment Grow 'em before you plant 'em Since You Asked: Biomass One makes steam-generated power Organic squash creates a bountiful harvest for ACCESS Prospect-area cow death likely not a wolf kill Navickas ordered to pay court filing fees State News Kitzhaber embattled as he seeks fourth term Nation - World Obituaries William Michael Chesney George Dotson CORRECTION Death Notices Jeanne R. Martin Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Rivera refutes report, says Newton OK Showalter, Williams voted managers of the year Reports: Peterson reinstatement hearing Monday Vanessa-Mae banned over fixed Olympic qualifiers Federer wins second match at ATP Finals Varsity 541 College Sports Ducks vault over Florida State in rankings FSU coach addresses shaving allegations SEC could be down to two, and they meet Close losses agonizing for slumping Beavers Four Raiders make top three Pro Sports Rivera refutes report, says Newton OK Showalter, Williams voted managers of the year Reports: Peterson reinstatement hearing Monday Federer wins second match at ATP Finals 49ers linebacker Willis lost for the season Community Sports Results / Standings LOCAL EVENTS LOCAL RESULTS Business Latest Stories Illinois Valley airport lease could be worth millions, add up to 200 jobs Sign of the times Medford airport passenger counts sky high in October Tax expert offers free presentation for small businesses Silvio Calabi: Does ‘FF’ mean Family Ferrari? Real Estate News Financial webinars offered for veterans and their families Home prices rise across Jackson County New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food People In Business People in Business, Nov. 8 People in Business Transportation Medford airport passenger counts sky high in October Erickson reports third quarter profit Lithia reports $34.5 million third-quarter profit Frontier Airlines to end Eugene-Denver service Business Resource Fair has answers Agriculture Revenue rises for Harry & David's parent company Where do all those leaves go? Hundreds look for work at Harry & David hiring fair Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls Letters to the Editor, Nov. 11 Our View: Zoning, building codes should respect fire Reflections on the election in Oregon and beyond Granlund cartoon: Early November snow Editorials Our View: Zoning, building codes should respect fire Our View: Dems should take it slow in Salem Trails can lead to health, recreation and jobs Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: Oregon voters go their own way Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Nov. 11 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 10 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 9 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 7 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 6 Guest Opinions Reflections on the election in Oregon and beyond Measure 89 provides equality for women Eagle Point needs public transportation Guest Opinion: Common Core testing sets math students up for failure Guest Opinion: Campaigning and voting 'the Oregon way' Lifestyle Latest stories Community blog: Egg-rich flan is a stunner for holiday spreads Shayne Looper: A shadow in the shade of ourselves Dr. Elaine Heffner: Misreading behavior Community blog: Getting Cold, is it time for some Dark Beer?? Blog: HAIKU MONDAY: On Big Bets and Big 'Nooks Food Community blog: Egg-rich flan is a stunner for holiday spreads Community blog: Getting Cold, is it time for some Dark Beer?? Community blog: Squash-a-thon brings food, volunteers together Community blog: Quick pickling yields fast fall flavors Kitchen Call: Autumn is mustard season Home and Garden Use the hidden meaning of color to enhance your home 17 things you never knew about turkeys Dear Monty: 10 tips toward a quality offer on a home How to live and work in a tiny home Dear Monty: Rent-back clause prevents financial disaster​ Health Community blog: Don't Fall For This Dr. Murray Feingold: Children are lacking face-to-face time Dr. Jeff Hersh: Ankle injuries can be tricky Health Watch: 4 reasons to get a gym buddy Community blog: Beyond Genetics for Health Hiking Biking Faith 'Walk the talk' Religion briefs Christ Unity Church shows 'Gen Silent' Religion News: American cardinal criticizes Pope Francis Religion news: Mormon church acknowledges founder’s teen bride Milestones and Achievements The meaning behind Veterans Day Wedding: Broten-Garrett Anniversary: Bucher New Arrivals Campbell given lifetime achievement award Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Word of Mouth: Brunch at Brothers' Restaurant Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists SOU partners with local arts SOU presents 'The Drunken City' The power of human spirit Theater SOU presents 'The Drunken City' The power of human spirit Review: Funny 'Lion in Winter' roars to life at Camelot Theatre Camelot presents 'The Lion in Winter' Music Focus on Tanya Gabrielian as Rogue Valley Symphony evokes the Baroque SOU partners with local arts Michael Franti and Spearhead play the Historic Ashland Armory Clarinets to the forefront Book review: 'The Next Elvis,' by Barbara Barnes Sims Community Events Review: Randall Theatre's 'Secret Garden' still enchanting Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Spookadelic Halloween Funktacular promises a lively dance party Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Theater's haunted house not for faint of heart Dining Word of Mouth: Brunch at Brothers' Restaurant Blue Toba is a cultural experience Back Porch Bar & Grill Yu's Yummy Yan's offers great take-out Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Suspect in Central Point homicide found in attic ... Our View: Zoning, building codes should respect fire ... Reflections on the election in Oregon and beyond ... Suspect in Central Point homicide found in attic ... Our View: Zoning, building codes should respect fire ... Reflections on the election in Oregon and beyond ... ANOTHER VIEW Dana Milbank: The 'dictator' is a bystander MailTribune.com Writer Posted Oct. 30, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Oct. 30, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News In July, when House Republicans voted to sue the president, they spoke of the urgent need to stop "tyranny" at the other end of Pennsylvania Ave. "Our freedom is in peril," warned Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina, the man behind the lawsuit. "We cannot stand by and watch the president shred our Constitution." Well, it turns out they can stand by. Three months later, no lawsuit has been filed. Politico's Josh Gerstein, citing "lawyers close to the process," reported that they don't expect any legal action before the election. Apparently, the Obama dictatorship is not such a threat after all. Conservatives have, in recent weeks, done a 180 in their attack on the president. They have, for the most part, dropped their accusations that he is an out-of-control, overreaching autocrat. Instead, they are calling him a weak and passive leader, nothing more than a bystander. My colleague Charles Krauthammer captured the revised consensus when he wrote on Friday that with "a sense of disorder growing — the summer border crisis, Ferguson, the rise of the Islamic State, Ebola — the nation expects from the White House not miracles but competence. At a minimum, mere presence. An observer presidency with its bewildered-bystander pose only adds to the unease." I don't get to say this very often, so let me seize the opportunity: I agree entirely with Krauthammer. And I welcome conservatives to their new and more accurate critique of Obama. Since the second year of Obama's presidency, I have been lamenting the lack of strong leadership coming from the White House, describing Obama in June, 2010, as a "hapless bystander ... as the crises cancel his agenda and weaken his presidency." I've since described him over the years as "oddly like a spectator" and as "President Passerby." Krauthammer, like other conservatives, has frequently bemoaned this "imperial president" and Obama's "executive overreach," but he has also occasionally recognized Obama's standoffishness. "The paradox of this presidency is that this most passive bystander president is at the same time the most ideologically ambitious in decades," he wrote in December. But it isn't really a paradox. Obama's ambitious agenda was shut down after Republicans took control of the House in 2010. The executive actions he has taken since then that infuriate conservatives are actually a reflection of weakness. The orders are limited in their reach (lacking the force of statute) and duration (they will only continue beyond Obama's presidency if his successor opts to continue them). In the past, conservatives harmonized the contradictory criticism of Obama by saying he's a tyrant at home but a weakling abroad. Ebola has caused the distinction to vanish. Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, calls Obama unfocused on Ebola because the administration "couldn't run the IRS right, and it apparently is not running the CDC right. And you ask yourself: 'What is it going to take to have a president who really focuses?'" Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, a sober voice in the party, voiced his hope on CNN that the administration "would take this more seriously. ... Unfortunately, this is another example where the administration was not as engaged early on as they should have been." A less sober voice, Sarah Palin, told Fox News that the "administration's incompetency is really shining bright in this one." She added that "there is a void of leadership here." Obama the unfocused tyrant! The disengaged dictator! The man who shreds the Constitution with ... a void of leadership. Dozens of Republican lawmakers, and a few Democrats, complaining about too little action from Obama, have called for travel bans to fight Ebola, while various governors, trying to placate a panicky public, have set up quarantines that the federal government has resisted. Obama, as usual, remains dispassionate, cool, detached. "He responds in a very rational way, trying to gather facts, rely on the best expert advice, and mobilize the necessary resources," Obama confidant David Axelrod told BusinessWeek's Josh Green, who likened Obama's crisis management to a graduate seminar. "There's no doubt that there's a theatrical nature to the presidency that he resists," Axelrod said. That's very similar to the criticism recently offered by former Pentagon and CIA chief for Obama, Leon Panetta: "Too often in my view the president relies on the logic of the law professor rather than the passion of a leader." Ebola is doing many horrible things to humanity, but at least it has caused conservatives to join this consensus. Obama's flaw is not that he abuses his power, but that he uses it too little. Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Oct. 30, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501