I’m a little slow on the uptake, and should have blogged this two days ago when I first thought about it.

With some (but by nowhere near all) progressives somewhat taken aback by Obama’s choices for foreign and defence policy and for economic policy, The Blessed One would mollify progressives with his appointments for Energy, EPA and Interior (also give them something to cheer about at Education and Labor). With the selection of Steven Chu to head the Energy Department, it looks like I’m probably right. The people in those jobs will be global warming / alternative energy enthusiasts. And the horrible truth is: this will be enough for progressives.

Because let’s be honest — for the most part, progressives don’t care about war. Not really. The Obama-loving progressives I know all care most passionately about equality (on the basis of race and sexual preference), saving the world (mostly from environmental evils, such as global climate change) and helping the poor. (The last usually not on the basis of a real encounter with the poor, or out of an honest calling from Christ that we who are the church should be poor, but rather out of liberal guilt that it’s horrible there are any poor people in the world combined with bourgeois sentimentality that everyone is entitled to live like white, middle-class Americans from the upper Midwest.) They only care about war insofar as the Iraq war was the wrong war waged by the wrong man. Truth is, too many progressives see war as being able to help people, especially those being “oppressed.” (And they seem truly stunned when you tell them right wingers make that very claim about the invasion and occupation of Iraq.) Sad as that is.

So… progressives are not likely to complain too much should President Obama reverse his promise to do end the occupation of Iraq (as he seems well on his way to doing). Nor will they complain too much if a President Obama bombs Iran (as he has painted himself into a corner about). Because he cares about racial equality (indeed, he is racial reconciliation and equality incarnate), the environment, and he wants us to be better people and care for others. They will get from him what they want, enough to buy into his regime and support it and its wars.

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