The normally sensible Joe Gandelman links to the normally hysterical Andrew Sullivan today to complain about the supposed “war” launched against Barack Obama by the Republicans.  Neither man considers the fact that Republicans — and a great many Americans — have serious questions about the economic policies of Obama and the Democratic leadership in Congress, but instead just have it out for Obama personally.  Sullivan:

This much is now clear. Their clear and open intent is to do all they can, however they can, to sabotage the new administration (and the economy to boot). They want failure. Even now. Even after the last eight years. Even in a recession as steeply dangerous as this one. There are legitimate debates to be had; and then there is the cynicism and surrealism of total political war. We now should have even less doubt about what kind of people they are. And the mountain of partisan vitriol Obama will have to climb every day of the next four or eight years.

Gandelman:

Some will quibble with how Sullivan words this, but it is indeed increasingly difficult to make an argument that the Republican party is acting in good faith with the White House and the American people as it continues to play to its base.

Good faith?  When exactly did the Democrats show good faith?  This bill started out by locking Republicans out of its draft, as well as many Democrats through Nancy Pelosi’s refusal to return to regular order in the House.  This is the most expensive bill ever considered by the Congress, by far the most expensive project ever considered, and yet the Democrats have failed to allow any meaningful debate or access to amend the bill.  In fact, they have yet to provide the bill to some members, but K Street already has its copies.  Yet they want to force a vote today on a bill comprising 1500 pages of legisation, with an initial cost of $785 billion and a ten-year cost of over $3 trillion without giving people a chance to read it — and the Republicans are acting in bad faith?

Joe references Rush Limbaugh as proof of the Republican war against Obama, but that’s absurd.  When Republican Congressmen and Senators start calling for Obama to be impeached, like we have heard from their Democratic counterparts for almost the entire span of the Bush administration, then you can cry about a “war” on Obama.  Dissent on policy is not war, gentlemen.  It’s America.

And if Joe wants to complain about Rush Limbaugh, where was he during the entirety of Keith Olbermann’s sorry career of supposed news anchorship, which consisted of nothing but anti-Bush diatribes?

There certainly is legitimate debate to be had, and especially on Porkulus.  Sullivan’s argument is apparently that none dare challenge The One, lest it be considered a “war”.  Well, man up, because we’re going to challenge every bad policy that comes out of the Obama administration for the next four years — because that’s what people do in democracies when they disagree.