Has Obama become a lame duck president
A chuckling and parodying John McCain during his presidential campaign in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, in 2007 tried to ‘bomb’ Iran—a Goebbels-like GOP propagated that Tehran was surreptitiously enriching uranium to produce the N-bomb. After countless parodies of The Beach Boys’ chartbuster Barbara Ann, McCain’s diabolical-yet-risible version of the song, Bomb Iran, was not just some off-the-cuff remark; it showed the hatred ingrained in the Republican Party towards Muslim nations, and the war-mongering conservative cosying up to the gun and Jewish lobbies. Later, he added, “Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb ... anyway, ah! ...”
The Arizona senator, who responded to an audience question about military action against Iran, later said that the remark was made only in jest though his Democratic opponents used it against him till the man he abhorred most and his Illinois counterpart Barack "Hussein" Obama romped to the White House.
Now, the former naval aviator whose A-4E Skyhawk was shot down over North Vietnam during war, could be in the hot seat again with the possibility of chairmanship of the influential Armed Services Committee in the new Republican-controlled Senate passing to him. The Committee has legislative oversight of the military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy and defence policy.
Defence experts say that Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II could come under further scanner of the Congress if Johnny Boy becomes the Committee chairman. He has been critical of the "jinxed" project: though dubbed as the fifth-generation fighter, the fighters were grounded in June, when one of the jets caught fire at a Florida air base. F-35s have been grounded, at least, 13 times since 2007 due to snags in their engines. Besides, the special shape and coating, which is meant to avoid detection, does not work. Air force lieutenant general Chris Bogdan, who runs the F-35 programme, has acknowledged that the project could face increased scrutiny.
McCain would also have a role in the deciding the Pentagon's budget though Rep and Senate appropriation committees oversee the actual finances. His role doesn't end there: defence spending, new weapons and closure of military bases would also be under his scrutiny.
More importantly, any military intervention or non-intervention by Obama in his last two years would be difficult with the GOP wresting control of both Senate and House.
Interestingly, Obama has said that he is planning to ask the Congress to allow use of military force against Islamic State (IS) contrary to his earlier stand of engaging US forces directly with the Sunni extremists in Iraq. "I am going to begin engaging Congress over a new authorisation to use military force against ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant)," he said at a news conference in the White House. Obama's about-turn could be attributed to several reasons. With the mid-term election rout, he has no option but to appease the war-mongering Republicans. If the Congress allows a "direct war" against IS, Obama won't have to share the blame if the plan goes awry.
On the other hand, if the Congress does not allow direct intervention, which will boost IS further, it will be GOP's fault. In case, the Congress allows direct confrontation with IS, McCain as committee chairman will have to agree to fund the war. While hardliners like McCain support such military campaigns, the Tea Party is opposed to them. McCain has been critical of Obama's military policy, especially regarding IS and Syria, and called for a tough response to the Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Afraid that critics may see his plan of direct confrontation with IS way to appease the Congress, now Obama has struck a combative mode saying that he will work with GOP on his own terms. In February, McCain, moved by the "mass atrocities" in Syria - but not the countless killings caused by the military misadventure in Afghanistan and Iraq all these years - said on the Senate floor, "Mr. President, I rise today to appeal to the conscience of my colleagues and my fellow citizens about the mass atrocities that the Assad regime is perpetrating in Syria. When the images and horrors of this conflict occasionally show up on our television screens, the impulse of many Americans is to change the channel. But we must not look away. We must not avert our eyes from the suffering of the Syrian people for if we do, we ignore, we sacrifice that which is most precious in ourselves - our ability to empathise with the suffering of others..."
The pugilistic Arizona senator has tried to take on Vladimir Putin as well after the Russian annexation of Crimea in Ukraine and slamming Obama in the process. When Obama said that Russia would have to pay "costs" if it moved troops into Ukraine, McCain said that the "threat is laughable". In fact, McCain suggested including high-ranking Russian officials in the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law and Accountability Act if they were involved in sending troops into Ukraine. He also wanted to reverse the decision to scuttle missile defence plans for Eastern Europe and expedite the process of including Georgia - invaded by Russia in 2008 - in NATO.
Obama might not publicly express the discomfort and anger after the mid-term massacre and the fear of the possibility of McCain becoming Committee chairman, the Arizona Senator is having the last laugh.