Hubris and intelligentsia

On the one hand, Andrew Sullivan is providing a healthy forum for holding Obama accountable. He should be commended for it. On the other hand, his stridency is getting tiresome. Sullivan now says Obama’s intervention in Libya shows “contempt for the American people, and their views, and contempt for the Congress and its role in deliberating before going to war. [...] This entire debate was entirely about changing one man's mind, not the country or the Congress or the people. Only the emperor counts, and if he happens to be wrong, tough luck. Who would have thought we'd elect Barack Obama to replicate the worst aspects of an unaccountable executive?” Does Sullivan actually believe this rubbish? Ironically, he was similarly full-throated in his criticism of those who opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. History made him look foolish (as he has acknowledged). Yes, Libya could yet turn into a nightmare. But his notion that the president is a devious wolf in George W. Bush’s clothing is absurd. In fact, it borders on insult. It is truly puzzling how little Sullivan understands the world outside the insular cafes of intelligentsia.