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Are liberals giving President Obama a pass for waging the kind of war they would instinctively oppose?

In other words, are they opposed to bombing only when the missions are ordered by Republicans?

There is anecdotal evidence, at least, that some on the left have lost their antiwar passion now that George W. Bush has decamped to Texas. Which means theyre more about partisanship than principle.

Dana Milbank, the liberal Washington Post columnist who can be tough on liberals, was at the White House for an antiwar demonstration in the wake of Obamas airstrikes against ISIS in Syria. A grand total of 22 people showed up.

Heres what he quoted lefty activist David Swanson as saying:

If George W. Bush were launching wars with Congress out of town, oh, it would be flooded. They would be screaming.

Obama, said Swanson, can get away with some abuses and worse and be forgiven because he engages in wars more eloquently and reluctantly, but the people who die in the wars are just as dead and the people who suffer from the sabotaging of climate agreements have their climate just as destroyed.

Medea Benjamin of Code Pink was asked why so few on the left oppose Obama. Hes totally defanged us, she said, citing his party, his affability and his race. The black community is traditionally the most antiwar community in this country. Hes defanged that sentiment within the black community, or certainly voicing that sentiment.

Defanged. Wow, those are damning words.

Andrew Sullivan, a conservative who largely became an Obama booster, is equally incredulous:

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KURTZ: Defanging the Left Why liberals are staying silent on Obamas war

Here's afascinatingchart from the Pew Research Center that sheds some light on why education policy can be such a polarizing topic. Liberals and conservatives prioritize very different values when it comes to educating their kids: Liberals are much more likely to preach the value of tolerance, while conservatives emphasize religious faith.

Among all political types, liberals stand out for theirgeneral indifference toward teaching obedience. On the other hand, they place a higher value on curiosity, creativity and empathy, as the chart below shows.

The differences underscore why the public school system in the United States, which for reasons of pure practicality requires something of a one-size-fits-all approach, is such a lightningrodfor disagreement and controversy. Conservatives and liberals expect - and often demand - very different things from their childrens' schools.

That said, there is one thing conservative and liberal parents agree on, according to Pew: "Among the public generally, responsibility is viewed most widely as important to teach children: 93% say teaching children to be responsible is 'especially important' and 55% rate this as among the most important the highest of any of the traits and qualities tested."

Christopher Ingraham is a data journalist focusing primarily on issues of politics, policy and economics. He previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the Pew Research Center.

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Wonkblog: How liberals and conservatives raise their kids differently

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) speaks at the 2014 Values Voter Summit September 26, 2014 in Washington, DC. The Family Research Council (FRC) hosting its 9th annual Values Voter Summit inviting conservatives to participate in a straw poll. Mark Wilson, Getty Images

President Obama's decision to authorize U.S. airstrikes on military strongholds of Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria as well as a group said to be plotting an attack on the West is just another "scandal" liberals are clinging to in order to "distract" from all their other controversies, Sarah Palin told a thrilled crowd Friday.

"These Alinsky-lovin', Orwellian, out-of-touch command-and-control elitists who've been running the show?" Palin told the Values Voter Summit audience in Washington, D.C. "Well, they used to rail against big government and the man. Remember that? Huh? They are the man! Their M.O.? It's to play the politics of personal destruction against anyone that they would deem a threat to their power.

"And they distract," she went on, "be-bopping from one scandal after another, knowing that there are so many that you can't keep up with all of them. So no one's ever held accountable. From the IRS corruption to you being spied on to, gosh, Benghazi, to bailouts, to, oh, 'Bush's war was bad, but Barack's bombs? Oh, baby. Those red lines? The strategery there that was thought up on the Back 9? Barack's bombs, oh; they're the bomb.' Well, goodness sake."

Always a big draw at conservative cattle calls, the former Alaska governor-turned-professional pundit peppered her remarks with signature catchphrases like "the status quo has got to go." At one point, she wielded a coffee cup in a gag aimed at the president's now-infamous "coffee cup salute" moment.

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Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had a bit of trouble identifying the address of the White House during a speech at the Values Voter Summit.

Speaking ahead of her, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who rocketed to political stardom as the effective runner-up for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, bragged that he's been to all nine Values Voter summits. He implored the audience - keen to his mantle of social conservatism - to "quit being scared and start being activists."

"I have never been involved in a race, where you play defense on an issue and yet you put points on the board - and yet that's what we do," Santorum said. "If you look at the current conservative movement, the Republican Party, there are issues we haven't even lost yet, and we're talking about giving up."

And wrapping up the afternoon session, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal delivered a speech that sounded very much like a trial run for a 2016 White House bid. Though he tossed some red meat to the audience on social issues like religious freedom, one of his most talked-about lines accused Mr. Obama of harboring reservations about ISIS leaders being "hunted down, killed and destroyed."

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Sarah Palin: Liberals think "Barack's bombs are the bomb"

Manitoba Liberals "Falling Apart" "Insulted" Him: Candidate Shane Nestruck
Pollock And Pollock News Channel (non commercial) music reviews, critiques of public interest issues. Video interview by Rockin #39; Ron Pollock. Produced and edited by Rockin #39; Ron Pollock and...

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Manitoba Liberals "Falling Apart" "Insulted" Him: Candidate Shane Nestruck - Video

FREDERICTON Progressive Conservative Leader David Alward conceded defeat Tuesday in the New Brunswick election and is stepping down as leader of the party.

Liberal Leader Brian Gallants party won 27 seats, the Tories 21 and the Greens took one riding.

Alward becomes only the second premier to fail in his bid for a second term in the provinces history. He won a majority government in 2010, unseating the one-term administration of Liberal Shawn Graham.

Alward conceded defeat about 12 hours after Gallant was declared the winner on an election night that was plagued by problems counting ballots.

He said Elections New Brunswick has an obligation to make sure the count was done correctly and what happened on Monday night needs to be reviewed.

Alward, whose voice cracked with emotion as he spoke, will continue to serve as the member of the legislature for Carleton.

Amid a bizarre vote-counting snafu, rookie politician Brian Gallant led his Liberal party to a majority election victory in New Brunswick, as voters rejected the Progressive Conservatives bid to jump-start a moribund economy by expanding its shale gas industry.

With most of the polls reporting after a tight battle that went well into the night, the tabulation of ballots was suspended Monday around 10:45 p.m. for almost two hours as concerns arose about technical glitches with memory sticks and discrepancies with vote-counting machines.

Before the count was stopped, Brian Gallants Liberals and the Tories under David Alward were locked in a tight contest. That changed once the results were updated with the Liberals winning 27 ridings compared to the Progressive Conservatives with 21, though the Tories demanded that every ballot be counted by hand to ensure the legitimacy of the election.

Green party Leader David Coon was elected in the riding of Fredericton South, a result that represents a breakthrough for a party that has never held a seat in the New Brunswick legislature.

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Liberals win majority in New Brunswick vote