With Hush Rush Strategy Exhausted, Who's the Next Target of the Obama Smear Machine?

Looks like the White House has begun to back off the daily trashing of Rush Limbaugh. I question the timing. Seems to come right on the heels of all those reports showing Democrats were overwhelmingly in favor of George W. Bush failing as president.

What, can't handle a little blowback, kids?

Beginning Sunday, the White House will harness every part of the Democratic Party’s machinery to defend President Obama’s budget and portray Republicans as reflexively political, according to party strategists.

A participant in the planning meetings described the push as a successor to Democrats’ message that Rush Limbaugh is the Republican Party leader. “We have exhausted the use of Rush as an attention-getter,” the official said.

David Plouffe, manager of Obama’s presidential race, helped design the strategy, which includes the most extensive activation since November of the campaign’s grassroots network. The database—which includes information for at least 10 million donors, supporters and volunteers—will now be used as a unique tool for governing, with former canvassers now being enlisted to mobilize support for the president’s legislative agenda.

Others involved in the planning included White House senior adviser David Axelrod; the DNC chairman, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine; and DNC Executive Director Jennifer O'Malley Dillon.

So, who's next on Obama's hit list?

Well, could David Petraeus be the next victim? It wouldn't take much for the left to simply dust off all their hit pieces from 2007, especially those character assassins at the George Soros-funded MoveOn.org. Consider this:

Petraeus going to Iowa, a state he doesn’t have previous ties to, is going to create a huge amount of buzz about his presidential ambitions because the Iowa Caucuses kick off the whole presidential nomination process. If he does, deliver the address—and Petraeus must know this—it will be seen as a sign that he is thinking about running in 2012.

Previously, it has been thought that Petraeus would not run against a president who had been his Commander in Chief. But there are reports of tension between Petraeus and Obama over both Iraq and Afghan strategy.

Very little is known about Petraues’s politics and no one knows how he would make the transition from soldier to politician. But if he did enter the race, it would shake things up dramatically. He would instantly become a top tier candidate and the most serious threat to Obama's chances of winning a second term.

It may be difficult trashing a military hero, but if they discover Petraeus is a solid conservative, they can just go to one of the media's favorite Republicans to do the dirty work.

Thanks to Jules Crittenden for the link.

Update: Oh, that Petraeus thing? All a joke, of course.

* This was meant as joke, though obviously it fell a little flat. Petraeus has no plans to go to Iowa that I'm aware, this year or next. I regret the confusion that has resulted from my clumsy attempt at humor.

Fucking hilarious.