Let’s let Stephen Colbert explain what he means.

Wikipedia has a short article on Richard Nixon’s Madman Theory.

The article has this quote of him talking to Bob Haldeman.

“I call it the Madman Theory, Bob. I want the North Vietnamese to believe I’ve reached the point where I might do anything to stop the war. We’ll just slip the word to them that, ‘for God’s sake, you know Nixon is obsessed about Communism. We can’t restrain him when he’s angry — and he has his hand on the nuclear button’ — and Ho Chi Minh himself will be in Paris in two days begging for peace.”

The article goes on to assess this theory:

Nixon’s use of the strategy during the Vietnam War was problematic. “First, while he would pretend to be willing to pay any price to achieve his goals, his opponents actually were willing to pay any price to achieve theirs. Second, Nixon had the misfortune to preside over a democracy growing weary and increasingly critical of the struggle.”^[5]

When I think of applying the Madman Theory, I always add the caveat, “Never make a threat that you wouldn’t be willing to carry out.”  Therefore you do have to think about what you would do if forced to carry out your mad threat.

Can you think of any current President of the USA that could stand to learn a thing or two about the successful application of the Madman Theory?

This interview with Bill Maher explains what the Obama/Democrat problem seems to be.

On his television show, Maher frequently goes overboard, perhaps to make his show exciting.  In this interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN, he calmly discusses his opinion.

When will Obama and the Democrats draw a line in the sand that is not to the right of their own bargaining position.  Apparently they don’t know about the bargaining principal of asking for more and compromising in the middle.  They only know about telegraphing their own bottom line and then compromising from there.

I have posted The Bullied Pulpit on my blog on my.barackobama.org.  This is the site for Organizing for America.

I now realize that in every book that I have read by President Obama or about President Obama, I cannot ever remember a single case where he had to stand up to a bully.  Since he never was confronted by such a situation, he never had a chance to figure out how to handle it.

Well, it is about time for his former supporters to give him a demonstration.  Maybe he will learn something.

So to President Obama and Organizing For America, we say “Enough is enough!” You get no more money and no more volunteers until you get a spine.

We are calling your bluff. Now what are you gong to do about it?

I’d like to report that the story Obama announces compromise on extending tax cuts is a satirical piece that I made up myself.  Unfortunately it appears to be true.  The headline to this blog article that I made up myself also appears to be true. How will the President negotiate with Republicans after this decision? The Republicans don’t have to  wonder when the President will ever have the courage to take a stand.  He just announced that he never will.

The following are real quotes from the real article:

Obama insisted that it “would be a grave injustice to allow these” tax cuts to expire.

‘We cannot play politics,” Obama said.

I wonder what business Obama thinks he is in? He is a politician and all the members of Congress are politicians, but he doesn’t want to play politics.  Maybe that is the problem.  He shouldn’t be playing politics he should be doing a professional job of politics. If he doesn’t wake up, the Republicans will be playing politics on his head for the next two years.  He won’t have to worry about the four years after that.  Perhaps only a Republican would vote for him in 2012 since he has been so accommodating.  If things don’t start turning around, this Democrat won’t be voting for Obama in 2012.

I have called Senators Kerry and Brown urging them to vote no on any extensions of the tax cuts to the wealthy.  Perhaps the Congress can save Obama from himself.

A minority of 40% Republicans in the Senate gets their way every time against a majority of Democrats in the House and a Democratic President. If the parties were reversed so that the Republicans held the Presidency, the majority of the House and the majority of the Senate, you know that the Democrats would be even more feckless than when they are in the majority.  It looks like heads the Republicans win and tails the Democrats lose.

The problem with this situation is that all the citizens lose.  Even the marginally rich will rue the day that Obama gave in.  When the U.S. defaults on its debt because of the Bush tax cuts and the currency becomes worthless, only the most wealthy will have anything left with which to enjoy life.

I have just watched the first 4 minutes of Obama’s 9 minute press conference that is posted on C-Span.  The only people to whom it was apparent that the Republicans wouldn’t give in are those who are  unwilling to call their bluff.  If they know you won’t call them on it, then they might as well insist that everything has to be their way.  That’s what I would do when faced with such a weak opponent.  How far is Obama willing to let things deteriorate before he is willing to call their bluff?  I am sure the Republicans will keep pushing the envelope.  I am not sure there is a point where Obama will say, “Enough!” Obama wouldn’t be facing the problem he is now if he had been willing to stand up earlier. Every opportunity he misses makes his stance at the next line in the sand even less credible. I don’t know why he can’t see this.

How do you think our country’s foreign adversaries take the measure of the man when they look at his behavior against domestic opposition?

This kind of weakness might even be the cause for getting an elbow jammed in your mouth on the basketball court.

In Paul Krugman’s column Let’s Not Make a Deal, he said:

Yes, letting taxes go up would be politically risky. But giving in would be risky, too — especially for a president whom voters are starting to write off as a man too timid to take a stand. Now is the time for him to prove them wrong.

Apparently he has come to agree with my satirical post Obama Vows To Veto Tax Cut For The Wealthy where I said:

The need to cut trillions of dollars from the deficit over the next decade mandated the ending of the tax cut to people who didn’t desperately need it.

On December 2, 2010, Senator Bernie Sanders gave the following speech in the Senate.

Can you imagine what it would be like if we had a President that could speak this clearly? Perhaps we need to elect Bernie Sanders as President to fulfill this wish.

Thanks to LlandaR for bringing this speech to my attention. I’d trade two Maine Senators for one Vermont Senator any day.