Obama is Risk Adverse

During the early years of the Civil War Lincoln was greatly frustrated by a series of Union Commanders who were risk adverse. They risked nothing and they gained nothing but a brutal exchange of casualties between the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Finally he turned to a natural leader named Grant whose greatest insight on military tactics was that the enemy was just as frightened of you as you are of him.

When Grant was given command of the Army of the Potomac the war ground to it’s inevitable conclusion. Because Grant was brilliant? Yes, but so were the Generals before him. The difference was that Grant understood the situation and he took the fight to the enemy, making blunders, but never retreating from imaginary peril, not overly timid.

Obama’s present to the Republican Party was his pick of Joe Biden. Joe Biden’s biggest selling point as a V.P. pick was that he was the “Safe” pick. The choice that could do no harm. John McCain saw an opportunity to take a risk on a little known Governor from Alaska. And the rest is historically consistent with leaders who are risk adverse.

From now until November Obama will continue to play it safe and McCain is going to win this war of attrition.