Liberals on Talk Radio Slam Obama for 'Cowardice' and Wimpiness on Guantanamo

While some networks have tried to say next to nothing about Obama’s Guantanamo flip-flop, they are not happy on liberal talk radio shows on Tuesday. Ex-MSNBC anchor David Shuster told Stephanie Miller he was disappointed that Obama’s been so conciliatory (wasn’t that part of his "purple state" appeal?)

SHUSTER: I though the President was very clear in his election campaign about okay we’re going to close Guantanamo and we’re going to reinstitute sort of the Constitution and Constitutional principles. I mean I think it gets back to sort of my issue with President Obama all along has been there’s such an effort I suppose to sort of want to be conciliatory and sort of you know reach sort of middle ground and compromise.

But I always thought the job of a President was to sort of use the bully pulpit to bring people towards your position. And say "You know what, this is what we stand for, and I’m going to use the megaphone of the Presidency to convince Americans why I am right."

STEPHANIE MILLER: But this is Democrats, you know, again that got scared.

Cranky Boston Globe Magazine writer Charlie Pierce pulled out the old leftist line that only "cowards" avoid civilian trials, including putting Ground Zero masterminds two blocks from their handiwork:

PIERCE: I think everybody was a coward, everybody involved. Including the people who elected the people who made this wonderful reversal of decision possible. I mean I just think every I mean there is absolutely no reason why you cannot try these guys in a civilian court, except for a bunch of staged cowardice by a bunch of people seeking political advantage. It's revolting.

Perhaps we should let Pierce hold a sleepover for Khalid Sheikh Muhammad at his house. They can comb each other's beards. Liberal host Bill Press wasn’t getting over the pain on Tuesday's show:

PRESS: But I do think there's an important principle at stake here, which the president so well articulated in the beginning where he said, look we are a country of law, we have a system of justice that we are proud of, and we also have this military prison down at Guantanamo, which is a black mark on this country's reputation, which is being used by Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups around the world as a recruiting tool because of the reputation of Guantanamo. So he says we're going to close that base, shut it down -- even George Bush towards the end of his term wanted to shut that place down...

So, I think the president was right the first time around for all the right reasons. And again, this is not something that's going to impact your life or mine directly, but it does represent -- I don't think you can deny it -- another folding, another compromise, another reversal of direction if you will, another abandoning of principle on the part of President Obama. Not fighting for this, not sticking to his guns, but caving in and saying, "Okay, I wanted to do it here in this country, I wanted to shut down Guantanamo, but I guess I'm not going to do it after all." It's a series of these that we do find so disappointing.....I just wish he didn't give in so much. And I wish when he sets a course that he would just stick to it.

Earlier in the show, Press also complained about other disappointments to ultraliberals, like the "public option," gay marriage, and Afghanistan:

At the same time, like you I've had my disappointments. I really, really think he made a big mistake giving up on the public plan option. I think he made a huge mistake and showed a lack of backbone by caving in on the tax cuts. I'm a big labor guy. I'm waiting for the employee free choice act, man, it never even came up for a vote. I'd like him to get rid of the Defense of Marriage Act. I like the fact we're getting rid of Don't Ask Don't Tell -- I think he took too long on that. I'm not crazy about the escalation of the war in Afghanistan, not at all. And only reluctantly support Libya. And this latest thing that looks like we're going to be in Gitmo forever.  

"We" aren't in Gitmo forever. We're simply holding dangerous criminals off our shore at this time.