Being in Charge

Do you think Democrats ever long for the good old days? You know, back in 2007 and 2008 when there was still a Republican, and an unpopular one at that, in the White House. The Democrats controlled Congress and that was nice, but without having the presidency they could avoid ultimate accountability. They could crisscross the country demanding the closure of Guantanamo Bay, immediate withdrawal from Iraq, full disclosure of the techniques used to question terrorist suspects. They could promise that, when they are fully in charge, all of the evils of the past eight years would be investigated: hearings, truth commissions, episodes of Oprah would expose the misdeeds of the past eight years.
Now they are in charge and it might be a little tougher than they thought.
If you want to close Guantanamo, then you have to figure out where to put all of the "guests". Funny thing, their own countries don't really want them back. There are federal prisons on the U.S. mainland, but the Democrats from those states don't want them there (aren't these just people who the Bush Administration wrongly accused of misdeeds and who need a place to go while we process their paperwork?).
Withdrawal from Iraq? It is easier to talk about ending a war while running for President than to actually do it as President. President Obama, and I give him a great deal of credit for this, has actually decided to rely on the advice of the commanders rather than the Daily Kos or the Huffington Post. We will and should get out of Iraq, but we are doing it in a responsible manner that will not undo the success of the 2007 surge and leave a disaster in its wake.
Then there is the "truth" about torture. Apparently the truth is that the Democratic Speaker of the House, while the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, was told quite a bit about these "enhanced interrogation techniques". Speaker Pelosi seems to be defending herself by arguing that she was not in the meetings she was in, or was not paying attention, or did not understand. Next she will be arguing that she missed the translation, the air conditioner was blowing too loud or she had an inner ear infection.
What is clear is that campaigning is pretend, governing is real. It is very easy to say what plays to the base in a political campaign, but a lot tougher to deal with the real world. Questioning and detaining suspected terrorists is not a pretty business. Drawing down a military operation cannot be done overnight. The Democrats are finding out that what they promised may not square with the reality.
What might help the Democrats right now? Well, if they could just lure Dick Cheney out to give a bunch of interviews...oh, never mind.