The Obama Watch
Peacenicked
Obama’s Sister Souljah moment in Norway.
Barack Obama has finally found royalty to snub. Seeing no need to bow before the powerless King of Norway and a chance to repair his image domestically, he used his trip to Oslo as a kind of Sister Souljah moment.
Norwegians, according to press reports, felt a bit used. Obama breezed into the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony without attending the customary lunch with Norway’s king. But the real snub was his Nobel speech itself.
As Bill Clinton taught the Dems, if you have to “confront” a liberal audience about some obvious truth, be sure to choose a hapless or unappealing one. Clinton bravely took on rappers; Obama took on Scandinavian pacifists.
It wasn’t very gracious, but the speech wowed the press mightily, as they cooed over its unexpected tone. Reporters eagerly said that conservatives would find it hard not to cheer this one. Actually, it is not that hard. The speech was the usual collection of truths, half-truths, and deceptions.
Obama seemed at first to be endorsing the concept of a just war: force can be “morally justified,” and “the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace,” he said.
But whatever he gives with one hand he usually takes back with the other. Soon he was offering up meditations on the intrinsically evil character of war: “war itself is never glorious, and we must never trumpet it as such” and “war at some level is an expression of human folly.”
Obama can’t decide if he is a hard-headed realist or Wilsonian idealist. Last year, he said that only a very narrowly defined concept of self-defense ever justifies war. Now he says, “I believe force can be justified on humanitarian grounds, as it was in the Balkans, or in other places that have been scarred by war.”
It is measure of the comically low expectations liberal presidents enjoy that the press expects Americans to be gratified to hear that Obama rejects the possibility of a peace conference with Osama bin Laden: “Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda’s leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force may sometimes be necessary is not a call to cynicism — it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.” What a brave and anguished conclusion!
But, wait, it turns out that America can negotiate with terrorists and tyrants: later in the speech, Obama said, “I know that engagement with repressive regimes lacks the satisfying purity of indignation. But I also know that sanctions without outreach — condemnation without discussion — can carry forward only a crippling status quo.”
So maybe a peace conference with Bin Laden is possible after all, if Americans can just set aside their anger. Maybe if Bin Laden lives long enough and wins a democratic election in an Islamic country, he can one day crawl into Arafat’s old bunk at the White House.
In the meantime, America’s military should be treating terrorists a lot more nicely. Obama once again implied that America has been violating its “ideals” in the war on terrorism. The somnolent crowd perked up at the line, “We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend.”
Obama took pride in subtly slurring his own military by informing the audience of what he has done lately to rein it in: “That’s why I prohibited torture. That’s why I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. And that’s why I have reaffirmed America’s commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions.”
And then there was the obligatory reference to Islam as a “great religion.” Has he ever called Christianity a great religion? If so, I missed it. He is, of course, disappointed to see the “murder of innocents” in the name of Islam, but let’s not forget “that these extremists are not the first to kill in the name of God; the cruelties of the Crusades are amply recorded.”
Why does he need to recall the Crusades in the context of “the murder of innocents”? There are fresh examples closer to hand in his own administration. One of his first acts as president was to free up tax dollars for the murder of innocents, unborn children, by international groups abroad. But that kind of violence is fashionable and signaled to the enlightened international community that Obama meant peace.
About the Author
George Neumayr, a contributing editor to The American Spectator, is co-author, with Phyllis Schlafly, of the new book, No Higher Power: Obama’s War on Religious Freedom.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (313) | Leave a comment
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Appleby| 12.11.09 @ 6:47AM
I do not listen to anything King Zero says; I prefer to hit the mute button and watch him flail his arms and waggle his ears.
However, it seems to me that with such a speech what he is doing is floundering into ever-deeper waters without any clear understanding as to why he is sinking, although the quick and obvious answer is because he cannot swim.
Roscoe| 12.11.09 @ 7:51AM
And puff his bottom lip.
Chris Pedersen | 12.11.09 @ 9:30PM
There is not much to laugh about these days with the Constitution in flames and its ashes laid at the feet of our enemies. But YOU MADE ME LAUGH!
Thanks Roscoe !
john mish| 3.15.10 @ 10:40PM
It seems to me that with such a speech what he is doing is floundering into ever-deeper waters without any clear understanding as to why he is sinking, although the quick and obvious answer is because he cannot swim.
ClubPenguinCheats
Chris Pedersen | 12.11.09 @ 8:54PM
BRILLIANT ! May I add, it is common knowledge that many times a drowning person is most likely to take someone with them.
That would be US in the A
Ron| 12.14.09 @ 1:40AM
I 've tuned him out as well. I know what he says means little. The country will be worse off for what he does but by accident he might do something acceptable once in a while.
roomen | 1.7.10 @ 2:19PM
I just can't swim...
roomen
berita dunia
Aku Cuma Seorang Blogger Yang Cinta Seo
Rinto | 2.3.10 @ 12:28PM
Are u sure...???
World News and Online Entertainment
Berita Indonesia Terkini
Stephanie| 12.11.09 @ 7:19AM
Why does he continually slam America and Christianity? On, I forgot. He's a muslim and a narssasist.
He makes me gag.
Rinto | 1.31.10 @ 11:28AM
ha...ha...ha...what the hell an online entertainment
Home Sweet Home
Melvin| 12.11.09 @ 7:29AM
Message to Norway. "So you feel used do you, well guys might as well get into line along with the rest of us."
Berit Liband| 12.11.09 @ 8:42PM
What a red herring argument. I have read all the major Norwegian newspapers and couldn't find a single commentary to this effect.
roomen | 1.7.10 @ 2:21PM
I think is same between bush and obama.
kumpulan bisnis
roomen
Toying | 2.3.10 @ 12:32PM
I'm not sure about that...Bush and Obama have their own character
FinanceZone
Home Improvement
lacitrix | 1.7.10 @ 2:27PM
very good opinion.
health and loan
roomeyda
Pingback| 12.11.09 @ 7:35AM
Headlines Exposed 12.11.2009 — ExposeTheMedia.com links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Dave | 12.11.09 @ 7:42AM
This is kind of what happens when -- instead of a brilliant thinker like Thomas Sowell -- American voters send ...The Kingfish to Washington.
mbah gendeng | 1.7.10 @ 2:30PM
nice opinion. great job.
mbah gendeng
Aku Cuma Seorang Blogger Yang Cinta Seo
martin j smith| 12.11.09 @ 7:46AM
The part of the speech having to do with just wars the need to fight them will haunt him, his administration and the democrats. Gd forbid we are attacked on US soil. That will be a telling moment for all to see. I hope it does not happen.
Dixie Pixie| 12.11.09 @ 11:22AM
A Muslim attack has already occurred at Fort Hood Texas.
The Obama response was underwhelming.
The muslins did note Obama will do nothing about any attack.
Michael Tomlinson| 12.11.09 @ 9:50PM
Wait till the Obama administration begins trying terrorists in NYC. Happy Days are Here Again for jihadists.
health and loan | 1.7.10 @ 2:25PM
very good opinion. I like your articles.
roomen
mbah gendeng
Sowell Disciple| 12.11.09 @ 7:57AM
Implying that the Crusades were an original event rather than a reaction to the initial Muslim invasions is a new low for Obama's antihistorical ramblings. He seeks to justify those jihadists who fancy themselves as avenging the Crusades.
Michael Tomlinson| 12.11.09 @ 9:54PM
I've stood on an archeological site where Muslims razed a monestary and slaughtered the Christians who occupied the site 200+ years before the First Crusade. Obama is not only a liar he is ignorant. Wouldn't it be nice if he'd release his academic records? My guess is he was a poor student who was passed by liberal professors out of sympathy for this black with a Muslim heritage.
kingsmill| 12.11.09 @ 8:55AM
It is sickening to watch the lineup of neo-cons (eg. Rove, Krauthammer, Hayes, Newt etc.) praising this empty rhetoric as a sign of Obama "growing".
Ken (Old Texican)| 12.11.09 @ 9:24AM
Hey kingsmill,
You ole Jew hating rascal you. How ya' doin?
Are you inviting any Christ killers over for Christmas this year?
Today is the first day of Hannuka. Have you been invited to any Jewish homes?
Ya' don't read too well do you?
Those guys you mentioned all wrote: "growing more boring every day."
Bye now.
bluecollarbytes| 12.11.09 @ 9:29AM
Conservatives need to acknowledge when Obama at least Voices some of the rhetoric of an 'independent America' in a dangerous world. But these Republicans need to stop feigning political moderation when what's called for is conflict. Does anyone believe when they talk amongst themselves in private they are exclaiming 'how much Obama has grown in his view of the world and our place in it'?
Reminds me of the 'hope' some had after Obama won the presidency. There were 'signs', almost everywhere it seemed, that Obama would take a middle if liberal path. How's that working out?
Obama moves the ball, and some conservatives are still looking for hope.
Charles Martel| 12.12.09 @ 2:30AM
"[I]n a world in which threats are more diffuse and missions more comples, America cannot act alone."
Perhaps the Prophet should instead have said, "... America ought not have to act alone." But he chose differently.
You will forgive me if I don't applaud. Or you won't. I don't care.
+++
Melvin| 12.11.09 @ 11:34AM
Kind of like a boil festering on all of our arses isn't he?
Magic Eight Ball| 12.11.09 @ 9:04AM
Some will say that our President is a spoiled child who has his whole life been congratulated on his potential not his accomplishments.
On the other hand, I say if people in Norway want to bestow a now meaningless award on a naive empty suit to show how they value being "nice" as the panacea for world peace, then we should smile upon them.
ncatty| 12.11.09 @ 9:20AM
The Nobel Committee owes Bush a prize. His surge into Iraq was much bigger than Obama's into Afghanistan.
Jack | 12.11.09 @ 9:50AM
History to Barak is what he read on the back of the cereal box that morning.
Billl| 12.12.09 @ 7:20AM
A little short on geography also. “I’ve campaigned in 57 states.” Or was that a Freudian slip.
Ret. Marine| 12.12.09 @ 7:40AM
No it was not, especially when the commentator had to remind him, twice, about him being a Christian. Geez, this moron can't keep his lies straight. Now we are suppose to think he has our backs? I think not.
Pingback| 12.11.09 @ 10:14AM
Twitter Trackbacks for The American Spectator : Peacenicked [spectator.org] on Topsy links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Anthony| 12.11.09 @ 10:27AM
History to Obama started the day he was elected president. This speech, that the MSM and some of our R elites, appear to be experiencing a collective Chris Matthews' type tingle, was nothing more than vintage Obama.
"I'm wonderful, America sucks, but I'll bring it down to 3rd world status, and right soon!! Oh, did I forget to tell you that my policy of moral equilivance demands that I put an end to torture, close GITMO, bow to the Geneva Conventon, prosecute our military and Copenhagen, HERE I COME!!"? WOW, sometimes I amaze myself at how wonderful I am!!"
"And of course, America's elites are in complete agreement as to how wonderful I am too".
Al Adab| 12.11.09 @ 10:53AM
Nice job Anthony. You got it all in a nutshell. Lots of substnace there. Of course we voted for Hope and Change, not substance. Platitudes not policies. Who said the voters never get what they want?
Sadly though it isn't about him, but about the policy disasters the administration is promulgating. Even though we suffered through years of unrelenting personal ad hom attacks on Bush and anti-war protests (where did they go BTW) rational voters need to focus on policy and costs. Unsustainable to borrow a word from the Left.
BOHICA
Margie| 12.11.09 @ 1:22PM
Like a hot knife through butter.
JJ| 12.11.09 @ 10:51AM
It's all about him. If he had any class he'd accept the award on behalf of the American people who have driven the world towards peace with their tax dollars, their lives, their will and their belief in prosperity for all. Americans don't hate anyone, something we never get credit for. The media tells us the world hates us (bull___) but we don't hate anyone. This is our greatness. He could have given the award to the American people (and won 10 points in his ratings) but he in an egotistical spineless snob, and stupid. No wonder 44% of Americans would take George Bush back right now. Obama is the first President in my 50 years that I despise.
John| 12.11.09 @ 4:32PM
Well said JJ. I'm another 50 year old that feels the same way.
S.L. Toddard| 12.11.09 @ 10:56AM
"But, wait, it turns out that America can negotiate with terrorists and tyrants"
Yes - as President Reagan did, when he supported Saddam Hussein before, during and after he gassed the Kurds; as Reagan did when he supported the Taliban for years, and as Reagan did when he negotiated with the Soviet Union - the most Evil Empire in modern history.
Negotiating with terrorists and tyrants is part of what made Reagan a great president, rather than an unmitigated disaster of historical proportions as President GW Bush was.
Marc Jeric| 12.12.09 @ 7:19AM
Another ACORN brownshirt (or perhaps SEIU goon) in awe of Abu Hussein from Kenya. Komrad Toddard will even praise Reagan! Reagan did not negotiate with the USSR - he confronted them with a superior force!
S.L. Toddard| 12.12.09 @ 10:35AM
Really, Marge? Reagan did not negotiate with Gorbachev? Reagan's negotiations with the USSR did not lead to the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty?
Ted R.| 12.11.09 @ 11:03AM
All great presidents have those who are intransigently opposed to him. You guys are just playing your role. Thank you, for being on the wrong side of history!
Dagny Taggert| 12.11.09 @ 1:09PM
How is he great, Ted? Does this incredibly insightful comment you just made also mean the more intransigents opposed to a president, the greater he is? Apply that theory to W and tell me what you come up with. Dumbass. Your last sentance sure sounds like a strong one--but what does it really mean? Very typical liberal post here: Vague beyond belief with nothing to back it up logically.
Al Adab| 12.11.09 @ 2:30PM
Love Dagny Taggert (both of them).
If being on the wrong side of History means standing with Liberty and Cato against Tyranny and suppresion them I'm all for it. Glad to be on the wrong side. Of course you might notice Ted, that it is the Socialist, central planned states that have vanished from the map.
Ret. Marine| 12.12.09 @ 7:57AM
It it not great to live in such a country. Just think when history is written, of course the truthful side, we will be known as the ones who refused to give up on our God given rights even as backstabbers were surrounding us. I was watching a conservative on the tele last night, the question was asked from a man in his fifties, "at what point do the American people understand that the President and AG can lawfully be charges with aiding and abeiting the enemies ", (and made the point that the Constitution does not make favor of who is being accused) of our Country. When the commentator ask for a show of hands who were in agreement of this statement there were only two out of a bunch of thirty who did not raise their hands, telling, very telling. Glad to be on the side of our founders. Glad to hear from Patriots who are in agreement. Dis-obeidence to tyrants is obiedence to God.
Marc Jeric| 12.12.09 @ 7:24AM
Wrong side of history? How is it the right side to follow the precepts of Karl Marx 150 years after his demise and 20 years after the fall of the USSR? Abu Hussein's 36 komissars are fully engaged in implementing marxism right now.
Rmm| 12.11.09 @ 11:13AM
I'm with Appleby, the guy is just repulsive. He needs to take a line from the late 60's and tell it like it is.
Personally, he strikes me as an over-grown spoiled brat who learned early in life that blowing smoke would carry him farther than being legit. He is the Bernie Madoff of politics.
Anthony| 12.11.09 @ 1:21PM
Rmm, Obama himself told us in his own words how to play on the gullibility of white leftist elites. In addition, he doesn't need a line from the late '60s, he IS the late '60s.
Obama is a radical redistributive Marxist who smooth talked his way around fawning white leftists,who in turn, gave him an Easy Pass through life because he played them for the fools that they are. Remember idiot Joe Biden's famous line about Obama being "clean" and "articulate", just what the white leftist plantation elites dreamed about all Blacks.
How does one after a 2 year drug induced history at Oxidental College end up at Columbia? How does an undistinguished student from Columbia end up at Harvand Law?
Bernie Madoff is a piker compared to Obama; Obama is the Elmer Gantry of politics, or, Adam Clayton Powell on steroids.
Ret. Marine| 12.12.09 @ 8:04AM
Try this for your information, don't take my word for it, look it up Please. Kalidia was a college friend, who just happens to be a mouth peice for the Palestinian cause, he in turn has connections to the Muslin Mafia, who in turn has connections to the house of Sauid. Do you remember when the Obama campaine was charges with turing off the verifiers to campaign contributors. As some have suggested, this was done on purpose, connect the dots friend. This is why he has refused to have his personal records examined.
Pete| 12.11.09 @ 11:14AM
That, and the Tiger Woods of presidents.
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 11:22AM
ugh. what worries me so much about my country is the cynicism in our souls. we are so rich, so lucky, and so mean to ourselves it's a shameful paradox. the poorest american is better off than 3/4 of the rest of the world, so why are you all so nasty?
now my response to this article, which i would enjoy intelligent retorts too, is a dismay at the suggestion that this president is somehow maniacally cunning in his execution of policy. it seems as though the author is suggesting that he is looking to do whatever he can to destroy the country. i didn't believe that about bush, and i don't believe that about obama. what really is destroying our country, are snide, mean, dispiriting comments in this article, and in the responses that followed. i wish hell was more than a metaphor, so you all could burn when you die.
Rmm| 12.11.09 @ 11:39AM
Pull your head out. That's what the 1st Amendment is all about. And oh by the way if you believe Obama is on the right track, get back with me in five years when America is no longer a "special" place. By then we will have an intrusive, big-brother regime.
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 11:48AM
just because you have the right to speak freely doesn't mean you have to do so with such aggrevated rhetoric. im all for debate, what troubles me is that people cannot seem to have one without demoralizing the process. and we are going to be just fine in 5 years, and in 10, and in 50 years. your view is in parallel to how liberals felt with bush but all of you are wrong.
look to future with hope! nanotechnology, bioengineering, and robotics just to name a few are going to dramatically and positively change our lives for the better. if we don't nasty ourselves to death first :)
Melvin| 12.11.09 @ 12:09PM
"Aggravated rhetoric," that certainly calling the kettle black isn't it? For eight straight years the Country had to listen to the Liberals venom in how they wanted Bush assassinated.
How many books were prosed and how many movies were fantasized about Bush being assassinated?
"nanotechnology, bioengineering, and robotics" With our government run education? Please don't patronize us. This technology is going overseas and the infrastructure is in place for this transfer to happen.
I live near the Triangle area in NC, these tech jobs are leaving faster than anyone would care to admit.
Your dreams can be summed up in a old phrase. "Wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which one fills up first" Kind of applies in this situation doesn't it?
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 1:02PM
i wish you would have read my first post, just above. there i stated that i also didn't think that george bush was againts our country either. im not liberal, or conservative. in fact, i find it pathetic to sum up ones political philosophy by saying "republican" or "democrat". i didn't enjoy the liberal venom and neither do i enjoy your conservative venom.
additionally, your use of crap as a descriptive metaphor is itself a metaphor ... for you. nasty, nasty americans .... both conservative and liberal. nasty, nasty, nasty.
Ken (Old Texican)| 12.11.09 @ 2:04PM
Hi kneechi,
"cum bayah" is not a very good song to sing on a battlefield.
Sir, or maym, we are now at war in this country.
...Just accept it....or get caught in the cross-fire.
Right now the war is being waged in ideas...and political stuff.
If 2010 does not bring back sanity to our congress and country...millions of Americans tell me ...the war will turn into bullets if necessary.
Bottom line, silly, get off the fence.
Road Kill| 12.11.09 @ 3:09PM
Yes sir, that speech riled me up! Yawn, zzzzz... And what has changed? As said by other posts, Obama, Reid, Pelosi Incorporated, are more focused on making war on this country, and they're not listening nor aware of the building anger. Obama inherited the mid-east conflict, and he's just going through the motions. Better gin up your courage, clean 'em and stack 'em, you'll need it for the coming fray.
Big J| 12.11.09 @ 7:36PM
kneechi,
Two suggestions for you:
1) Hell is more than a metaphor, and I certainly hope you don't learn the hard way (unlike your wish upon the rest of "us").
2) You need to ditch your irrational fear of the shift key.
You are so right, though. The poorest American is better off than 3/4 of the rest of the world. Heck, people that reside below the poverty level here still enjoy cable, more than 1 television, at least one car, central a/c and heating, a microwave, etc. Quite a bit different than Obama's brother living in a 6'X6' hut in Africa on $1 per month, isn't it?
I will tell you this, however, as clearly as I know how: I would gladly live in a 6'X6' dirt floored hut in FREEDOM, with the opportunity to better my situation long before I would reside in a 3,000 square foot house with all the bells and whistles, while the central planners in Washington tell me what to drive, eat and think.
By the way, one doesn't need a degree from Harvard to figure out that this president does INDEED intend to destroy this country as we know it. Wake up!
kneechi| 12.12.09 @ 2:52AM
hell is more than a metaphor? i didn't expect the discussion to dissolve into fantasy. i suppose santa really DOES live in the north pole.
if you were born in india, you would be a polytheist. you only think hell exists because that is the story you grew up with, and your stickin' to it. i study religion academically, so i have a perspective that is more learned.
i know for example that jesus was just man, who's divinity was decreed in the 2nd ecumenical counsil, also known as the counsil of nicaea or the 1st counsil of constantinople in the year 381.
Sir| 12.14.09 @ 11:24AM
Miss kneechi,
You seem to fail to understand that evil is real and it exists in this world and time. Believe whatever you want about Jesus - His history and acts are even more concrete in documentation than our founders'.
The only other thing I'll say is that you betray yourself as an amateur and student, as well as an elitist - with the "i study religion academically,..." crap. You simply prove what real conservatives already know. Catch up, will ya'? Sheesh.
Ret. Marine| 12.12.09 @ 8:09AM
and why do you think the "poor" are better off than 3/4 of any other country? do you think it's because of all the snide remarks you suggest? Just as you are free, at the moent, to speak your mind, so too are we. May I suggest you read this thing called a book once in awhile. Ignorance is the most dangerous weapon of all times.
Melvin| 12.11.09 @ 12:01PM
Fear not my brothers and sisters, the elites will be franticly searching for the closest airport when the curtain to this macabre play enters it's final act and social order breaks down into chaos.
As these political elites scurry like cockroaches when the light of truth is exposed to them to escape the sorry mess that they have created, I give a shout-out to them.
"Hey there great citizen, do not leave for afar Come join together with us in this lovely utopia that you have created for us.
We wish to share with you the great fortunes that you promised us. We stand here before the great
cornucopia of of all things desired and promised and eagerly await the vast free stuff that will be brought forth.
But wait, the cornucopia speaks... Quiet. What is that you say? I'mm sorrr... does any one here speak Mandarin?"
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 1:10PM
who are the elites in your mind? are they the economic elites? are they the intellectual elites? political elites? you throw words around, but what do they mean? i think it's logical to assume that a there are many different political views at the top of our society, both liberal and conservative.
relative to the rise of china, im a student of history and im quite sure that the off-shoring of jobs there was mostly a conservative agenda in the beginning, although president bill clinton was the first liberal president to continue the policy.
i however like the conservative idea. i think it forces us to re-tool and re-invent ourselves, which is painful but necessary. it also gives us another trading partner in the world, another positive development. in china 300 million people have been lifted out of poverty. i welcome that, dont you?
Ken (Old Texican)| 12.11.09 @ 2:11PM
kneechi,
See above comment. by me.
Marc Jeric| 12.12.09 @ 7:36AM
Outsourcing of jobs was a conservastives' idea? What nonsense! Show me a strong union and I will show you a dead or dying industry - steel, car, textile, electronics, apparel ... and of course education. All of these have been outsourced by union pressure - except education where the teacher unions hold the mortal grip on our future. Some 45% of them "teach" - mainly self-esteem - while 55% of them administer, coordinate, interrelate, develop, congregate, lobby (!!!), write reports, fake exams, ... - sorry, I'm getting sick. Abu Hussein's stimulus "saved" 320,000 teacher union jobs.
kneechi| 12.12.09 @ 3:56PM
who is abu hussein?
Bill| 12.12.09 @ 8:13PM
It is better to remain silent and thought of as a fool, then to open thy mouth and remove all doubt.
Sir| 12.14.09 @ 11:27AM
Close your 'academic' books and open your eyes to what's happening to our God-blessed country all around you.
Blinders: Take 'em off.
Peter McGrath| 12.11.09 @ 12:04PM
Obama's feint toward Clausewitz is all pretense. Certainly, being a thinking, sentient being, Obama must acknowledge - in a general, strategic sense - that America must use force to protect its citizens.
It's in the tactical use of that force that Obama appears incapable of discharging his duty as Commander in Chief.
His inherent distrust of our military has led to indecision over deployments to Afghanistan, court martials for Navy Seals (who roughed up the Al Quaeda who murdered and desecrated American security personnel in Fallujah), political correctness permeating the chain of command, and engagement restrictions that handcuff the ability of our warriors to kill and decisively defeat the enemy.
The result has been tactical losses, and retreats, which have blossomed into the loss of initiative on various battlefields worldwide.
Our ability to confront, defeat and kill the enemy must not be constrained by Obama's "ideals."
Such "ideals" had no meaning to the hundreds of innocents who chose to plunge to their deaths rather than suffer immolation on 9-11.
Such "ideals" are meaningless to soldiers in combat confronting ruthless, fanatical killers.
The bloodlust and fanaticism of our warriors must ALWAYS surpass that of our enemies. Unleash the terrible power of our armed forces, Mr. President. Don't be a shrinking violet. Dance on the graves of our enemies, Mr. President, and support our troops as they track down and kill the murderous, hateful scum who would lustily murder you and each and every reader of this post.
Is this likely to happen? Is Obama, who has probably never discharged any sort of firearm, prepared to do anything and everything necessary to achieve victory?
The answer, unequivocally, is NO. His moral weakness will set the stage for further tactical retreats and failure, and a prolonged war.
Does anyone seriously doubt that another major effort by Al Quaeda to cause mass murder on American soil is more likely than not with this poppinjay in the White House?
Martin j smith| 12.11.09 @ 12:12PM
Ft. Hood as a terror attack relative to 9/11was " chump change" in the minds of many Americans --including those who saw this as a terror attack. If Gd forbid a 9/11 or better ( in the sense of number of casualties ) occurs, this will be seen by at least a majority of Americans as an act of war.
This will be the test for Obama. I hope it never comes to pass but who knows... His words about "just wars" will come home" to roost" so to speak.
Ret. Marine| 12.12.09 @ 8:26AM
Without the risk of telling you of my background before retiring in 04, I can tell you that there have been approx. 900,000 who entered and relocated from al-Queada's training camps over the past ten years. This pretender-n-theif seems to have selective moments where the truth is blinded by his ideology. He is not being truthful to the American population over the issues of this fight. Make no mistake, he is unwilling to see this war to victory. He is trying at all cost of the lives of our warriors to talk al-queada to thier deaths. He seeks favor with the very people who wish us harm. It is im-moral to a muslim to kill another muslim. They have been plotting for the past fifteen years on how to do it while the American population has just awaken to their plans.
I have a 30 yr. old son currently serving in theatre, on his fourth tour, and twice now in the Afghanistan Country. He has seen and remarked of how the troops regard this pretender-n-theif, their disdane for his actions, his inability to confront our enemies, and worst of all the methode used to tie their hands in going after these so-called fanatics of the religion of peices. We as a Nation, would do well to understand these fanatics have a 100 yr. plan of action for us. We must resort to the "thinking outside the box" in order to counter-react to their plans. First we must demand a real leader in place of this educated idiot.
Peter| 12.11.09 @ 12:39PM
While the speech was far better than conservatives could have or would have expected, it's attempt at "balance" once again left anyone listening to it or reading it just where the Obamster stands. What are his real red lines and what are the American values and ideals he would defend regardless of the obstacles? What are his core beliefs that can't be influenced or altered? How can a statement suggesting that with al Queda there is no room for negotiations or compromise be reconciled with the open attempt to engage with the current Iranian regime that is arresting and murdering its own citizens to retain power?
As in so many cases with this President we just don't know. There are contradictions galore between his empty rhetoric and his actions and no sense of what those things are that he will fight for under all conditions and circumstances. Because of that we can never tell if he ever believes what he is saying on almost any issue, be it cap and trade, where he once said that only by auctioning emission permits could the process be kept honest, which if you're going to go down that road is the right way to go, to Honduras, where we insisted on Zelaya being reinstated before we'd recognize new elections--until Obama changed his mind on both issues.
These are but a few examples, but flip-flops on health care, Israel, economic programs and a host of other issues can be included.
We've never had a President in recent memory who doesn't seem to know for sure what direction he wants to go or what destination he expects it to lead to for the nation. It is deeply disturbing because it also leaves us not knowing whether what we have traditionally defined as American interests are the same as the person now leading it.
Ken (Old Texican)| 12.11.09 @ 2:18PM
Peter,
You are too kind, sir. Mr. Obama knows exactly and precisely where he wants this country to go.
The frightening thing to me is how many Americans, (like you), put on blinders, and give him the benefit of the doubt.
You folks are going to be caught straddling the fence when push comes to shove.
Pleas, sir, get your "stuff" stacked.
Marc Jeric| 12.12.09 @ 7:42AM
No Sir - Abu Hussein knows exactly where he is going; and that is the transformation of our country into a socialist paradise under the permanet marxist power.
Ret. Marine| 12.12.09 @ 8:37AM
Good advise Ken. This should alarm every Patriot in this country. We have yet to see to what extent this petender-n-thief is willing to nudge us. I suspect this is going to turn out very badly for those who chose to ignor the issue at hand, security, preparedness, and staking life's essentails for the coming storm. This pretender-n-theif desguising himself as the President of the free world has no clue as to why the second amendment is in place, or maybe he does? Either way this is not going to be good in any sense of the word. Live free or die. Semper Fi.
kneechi| 12.12.09 @ 3:57PM
wow, u support something that ken has to say do you?
Ret. MArine| 12.12.09 @ 8:36PM
Yeah big suprise there Kneechi. There are a few of out here with an independent brain with working cells that do not rely upon "emotions" or "feelings" to guide us to sound conclussions.
I like to believe with 32 years of active service to my Country I actually pcked up on a few pointers.
Sir| 12.14.09 @ 11:30AM
S/F, Sir. God bless you. Thanks for your good and noble service. 10 Nov 1775 was one of the greatest days in American history.
Dixie Pixie| 12.11.09 @ 12:47PM
Is it my imagination or does Obama not think of a speech as a verbal contract or a declaration of future intent. It seems to me Obama considers a speech to be a form of propagandist artwork.
He seems to construct his screeches by laying down broad brushstrokes of leftist dogma. He seems to be entranced by the imagined beauty of his ideas and himself.
Each sentence and idea stands alone and apart. It is like each sentence and phrase is a glittering jewel and the speech is a collection of jewels arranged in a pleasing pattern.
Has anyone else found Obama screeches to lack internal connectivity, logic and a connection to reality as I have? If Obama screeches have no meaning what does that mean for America.
Is it a general characteristic of Obama like liberals that words have no meaning beyond the imagined beauty of the word / idea relationships.
Al Adab| 12.11.09 @ 12:58PM
To this President, words are only tools to foster an agenda. They are used to obfuscate his intent and to anethetize his opposition and the adoring masses as well.
It is the works we need to watch. Works speak or so much louder than words. Ask James
Margie| 12.11.09 @ 1:29PM
"It seems to me Obama considers a speech to be a form of propagandist artwork."
~ Indeed. But you have to wonder though. Can it possibly be so programmed, and yet "artistic" at the same time? Hmm, a question for the ages.
Dixie Pixie| 12.11.09 @ 6:58PM
To: Al Adab, Margie
Thank you your replies.
Al Adab, ---- Know him by his works and you will know his soul. Did I get that correctly? The only problem is Obama has very few “works” to his credit. What tracks he has left behind are dubious at best. Another problem is for a politician his speeches are his works. Obama worries me with his callous disregard for people implied in his speeches.
Margie, ----Yes I have noticed that the Left resembles Pavlovian dogs in the predicable response to conservative stimuli. In fact the Liberals react like badly programed robots. Can a badly programed robot be artistic, maybe???? Art is in the eye of the beholder.
The problem as I see it is the Liberal Arts crowd has abandoned reality in language for “beauty in word play”. For the Liberal Arts crowd it does not matter if language devolves into gibberish if it looks pretty. Obama has taken this to the political level for the full praise of the Left and MSM.
What really worries me is Obama seems to be retreating from reality into a liberal distortion bubble. With each speech, Obama seems a little further away from reality. One day we may find he is issuing dictates based in a liberal fantasy world not reality.
Margie| 12.11.09 @ 9:02PM
You put it so well, really, and it's frightening. Honestly I can't bear to listen to him, and don't have t.v. but I do listen to clips on the radio and even then I will turn it off. I get my news from radio and reading here and other places.
We are in such deep trouble. I truly hope we can take our country back.
Margie| 12.11.09 @ 1:15PM
"Obama breezed into the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony without attending the customary lunch with Norway's king."
~ Obama can't stand there being any other "king" but himself.
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 1:21PM
really? gosh i read all of these comments and they are all so mean and nasty. do you all think (i know this is a mostly conservative audience) that obama just dreams of ways to destroy america? it's the same foolishness that liberals felt about bush. they are doing the best they can with very difficult situations. i highly doubt any of you nasty naysayers could do any better. do you?
Margie| 12.11.09 @ 1:34PM
Dear kneechi,
What is really truly nasty, is what this man actually believes, and what he is actually doing. (Marxist, Socialist, Communist policies). I don't know where you come from, or if you are an American, but we Americans despise his actions. What we say is the nasty truth.
Blacque Jacques Shellacque| 12.11.09 @ 1:50PM
do you all think (i know this is a mostly conservative audience) that obama just dreams of ways to destroy america?
Got a plausible explanation of your own, then, why he tripled the deficit in eleven months? Why he and his comrades are trying their damnedest to socialize our health care over a majority of the public's objection? Why he and his comrades are trying to kill our economy by indulging their AGW fantasies with proposals of cap-and-trade schemes?
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 2:05PM
to margie ... yes, im american and a veteran of the u.s. navy.
and to shallacque i assume he tripled the debt to confront the economic crisis. i think they tackled health care because they felt that 30 million uninsured and health care cost increasing far faster than inflation was something that needed to be addressed. cap and trade i assume is meant to increase costs of using carbon intensive energy industries. out of all 3 of the examples you suggested i like and support the first two, but i do not like the last (i think we should just lower taxes on less carbon intensive energy production ie. solar, wind)
do you see what i did there? i addressed each issue irrespective of ideology. and that is how i vote. i voted for mr. obama, but i voted for a very unpopular (in the eyes of liberals) sherriff, joe arpaio. i also voted for jeff flake, a republican.
do you see what i did there? i judged each candidate in a nuanced and thoughtful way, and made a decision irrespective of party lines. do you do this?
martin j smith| 12.11.09 @ 3:44PM
No, see the difference is this: Bush actually ( foolishly in my view ) tried to be bipartisan on some issues. See immigration reform, Medicare RX drug coverage and yes even No Child Left Behind. Obama by contrast definition of Bi-Partisanship is my way or the highway. Republicans are barred from committee metings. Dissent is called " un-American ( while hillary Clinton shrills on dissent being the highest form of patriotism ). In my view Republican moderates at best may mean well but are not really understanding the Democrat Party. They are Marxist Left in tone and uncompromising in practice. So, you can talk all you want to about the "meanies" on this web site but then again if folks here are so bad--why log on? What are trying to prove ? And, who are you really anyway ?
martin j smith| 12.11.09 @ 3:55PM
Just one more point: Kneechi:
You assume or see to assume that the econoic policies of the Obama administration and perhaps all of his policies are actually motivated by genuine desire to improve our naton. I do not take such as position. I did not vote for Obama for many reasons but briefly these include: 1-Anti-American attitudes. 2-A a antipathy for free market economics, 3-He is an ideologue a mix of Che Guevara, Fideal Castro and Hugo Chavea4-His radical associations were relevant. Finally I should add that he shown that my fears of his presidency are even worse that I expected. Is he a Liar-YES and much more than GWB
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 4:20PM
i log onto sites like these, as well as leftist sites to try and bring a measure of decency and logic to internet debates. i am neither liberal, nor conservative. i am fiercly independent, and vote on each candidates merits, not party affiliation. i enjoy philosophy, science, religion, sports, and politics.
my favorite philosophers are nietzsche, machiavelli, hume, and spinoza. my favorite religions are buddhism, christianity, and islam. favorite sports, UFC and football. favorite science: nuerobiology and cosmology. does that give you a good enough impression of my personality?
oh, if you would like to know my personal spiritual views, i am a naturalistic pantheist.
Fionnagh| 12.11.09 @ 11:03PM
In a word, "Yes."
Ret. Marine| 12.12.09 @ 8:43AM
really? now freedom of speech is considered nasty? You would do yourself and those around you well if you consider that words have meaning.
Mean what you say, say what you mean.
Tailgunner| 12.11.09 @ 2:00PM
Obama is a liar.
Everything he says is a lie.
Therefore it is a waste of time and a disservice to the public to treat anything Obama says as legitimate news.
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 2:08PM
really? everything he says is a lie? that is your view huh.
you don't have anything else to contribute that may be of a more thoughtful nature? what are your views on mr. bush? in my opini0n, mr. bush and mr. obama both love america, and both did, or are doing, what they feel is best for our country.
Ken (Old Texican)| 12.11.09 @ 2:29PM
Hello back, kneechi
(What a stupid handle by the way...reminds me of Quiche. Heh)
Obama sometimes tells the truth...but hey...everyone makes mistakes and misstatements. heh.
Sir or lady, or queer, (oops misstatement)......
This is an adult conversation. Either man/woman/or queer/... up and pay attention.
Obama is an America hating...constitution discarding...liar...from the moment he took his oath of office. We have it recorded for all ages, knothead.
I shan't respond to your prattle again. I hope no one adult here shall.
Go enjoy Huffington post for the rest of your life.
Thank you
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 2:43PM
no sir, i am not gay. i am however a veteran of the u.s. navy. (USS Blue Ridge under Capt. Lebreque 1995-1999) have you ever had the pride and honor of serving your country?
i also do not like the huffington post because it is too liberal for me. i engage in discourse with websites like that, as i do here. what i feel my job is to engage websites that are mostly one way or the other ideologically speaking, because in my opinion i don't think it is right to be ideological in any manner.
one question for you though. do you feel good in your heart when you write things meant to hurt people?
your personality can be judged by how you treat people that have no utility to yourself. ie. people on the internet. do you feel good trying to hurt people you will never meet? do you treat people in your life the same way?
Road Kill| 12.11.09 @ 3:18PM
kneechi, you have all reason to post your thoughts on this site. Likewise, others to too! Writing words that "hurt people" reminds us of the old saying about sticks and stones. However, this is not a pro Obama crowd, so if you get close to the fire, expect the heat. I have.
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 4:01PM
again, i have no problem with people expressing thier opinions. i just don't understand why people feel they must do so in such a negative way.
i believe that words have power, and that intelligent, caring individuals would use this power wisely. intellectual discourse is one thing, but what i read on this site, along with liberal sites (like huff post) and what i hear on fox news, and MSNBC dismays me greatly. why can't we disagree in a sophisticated way? why do political discussions always have to be so primitive?
Melvin| 12.11.09 @ 3:58PM
Well I be damned, small world isn't it. I had a number of long forgotten friends who were stationed on the Blue Ridge.
I was stationed in the Philippines 1983-1986. I can't remember if the Blue Ridge was home ported their or not it was a long time ago.
You feel this crowd is a bit coarse, fear not, we are a most cordial crowd here, but we are fierce and very opinionated here.
I have learned much from many of those who post here on both sides of the conservative and liberal sides.
No hit and runs here, if you post an opinion be prepared to validate it or you will be eaten.
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 4:07PM
no the blue ridge is stationed out of yokosuka japan, at least it is now.
and yes i do feel that this crowd is coarse, as i feel the crowds on the left are coarse as well. it just makes me sad to know that so many people, both left and right, have no ability to empathize with opinions that aren't of thier own.
Ret. Marine| 12.12.09 @ 8:48AM
It is not a matter of empathizing with others, it is an opinion. Our opinion is this pretender-n-theif is not good for this Country or the Free-World at large. No feelings involved, just an opinion.
Pingback| 12.11.09 @ 2:35PM
The American Spectator : Peacenicked | Today Headlines links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
martin j smith| 12.11.09 @ 4:51PM
kneechi: Again I ask a rhetorical question: who are you really ? There is something about your posts that does not feel right to me. It is not your opinion per se. There is something else going on. Perhaps someone out there can help me out on this.
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 5:25PM
you got me bro. im an existentialist with utilitarianism as my favored mode of transportation.
GreyLion| 12.11.09 @ 10:48PM
kneechi,
I think you have been looking for too many brass rivits.
Curtis Rasmussen| 12.11.09 @ 6:17PM
A lying arrogant patronizing hard left crypto-socialist concern troll sums up kneechi nicely for me.
My guess is Lib Reader taking his new moniker for a test drive.
Existentialist with utilitarianism? Don't be a bore.
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 6:35PM
i have not lied once in any of my comments. i swear to that on the honor of my mother and father. if you think that i would dishonor my family for an internet converstation that you are discusting.
and there is nothing boring about existentialism sir! in fact, objectivism which is a favored conservative philosophy championed by one of my favorites, ayn rand, was heavily influenced by existentialist philosophy.
i am also pro war (if it's morally just: iraq no, afghanistan yes) and heavily pro gun. in fact the only reason why i don't fear my goverment, is because they have never asked me to give up my arms!!
so you see sir, you are not only mistaken but you are also a mean person with a weak soul by the manner in which you attacked me.
it's funny, liberals do the same thing when i tell them that george bush was honestly doing the best he thought he could for our country.
i would just like to ask all of you, how does it feel to be so pathetically entrenched in your opinions? your nothing more than puppets on a republican string, as liberals are nothing more than puppets on a democratic one.
think outside of the box that you grew up in.
Fionnagh| 12.11.09 @ 11:13PM
"how does it feel to be so pathetically entrenched in your opinions?"
Absolutely wonderful, albeit I would delete the word "pathetically."
May I suggest that Ayn Rand be added to your reading list, so that perhaps you will finally get off the let's-not-offend-anybody fence?
kneechi| 12.12.09 @ 2:44AM
i love ayn rand. atlas shrugged and immanuel kant's critique of pure reason were the two books in philosophy that got me started! she is a second rate philosopher though, certainly not in the same class as hume, spinoza, kant, or nietzsche. i still love her though.
sidenote: did you know that alan greenspan used to hang out with her? how cool is that??
Sir| 12.14.09 @ 11:36AM
You're STILL a condescending bore... and not even a good one, at that. Whatever the case, thank you for your service to our country. Now, step out of the way so that those of us still willing ot fight for it may do so.
WRJonas | 12.11.09 @ 4:52PM
I'm hoping in years to come some heart broken woman who has lost a child in Afghanistan will camp out semi permanently near The Obama compound . She will be escorted and championed by hundreds of press writers and sympathizers who will video her every action and report every scathing remark on the war and its cruel ,unjust ,endless list of victims, blah, blah, blah , blah blah blah........................
Very little chance !
kneechi| 12.11.09 @ 5:08PM
that's a very good point WRJonas. i also doubt that will happen! that's because most of the news media is liberal, except of course for foxnews. these biases are a big problem in our country.
we citizens should stand up and fight for laws that make it illegal to do anything other than report the news in a boring manner. glenn beck and rachel maddow should not be allowed to be on stations that call themselves news networks. we should have an independent board that moniters news networks and fines them heavily whenever they show bias.
i watch for bias closely, and the newscast i have found with the least bias is the PBS newshour, although they do have an bias towards intellectual discourse.
Pingback| 12.11.09 @ 6:22PM
The American Spectator : Peacenicked American Me links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 12.11.09 @ 6:40PM
The American Spectator : Peacenicked links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Aaron Levitt| 12.11.09 @ 8:40PM
I appreciate Kneechi's posts, although I don't agree with everything he says. Obama is the duly elected President of the United States, and he ran on a platform that he has, so far, followed quite faithfully:
1) He said the banking system needed support, and he worked to support it.
2) He said that the economy needed a bailout, and he bailed it out.
2) He said the war in Afghanistan was a war of necessity, and he is waging it.
3) He said that the US needed to talk to our (cold) enemies, and he is pursuing such talks.
3) He said that the US should have universal healthcare, and he is promoting legislation to that effect.
I have no problem with people criticizing these policies, or the political philosophy they perceive as underlying them, but calling President Obama a liar is simply pathetic. He was elected to do precisely what he is, in fact, doing. If you feel that those actions are illegitimate, then your problem is with democracy, itself, not Obama. Personally, I'm quite fond of democracy. It is, of course, your privilege to hold a contrary opinion, but have the integrity to state it honestly, and sign your real name when you do so!
Michael Tomlinson| 12.11.09 @ 9:48PM
Phony surge (troops going forward right now were supposed to go forward over 3 months ago, but were delayed to be counted in this phony surge) and phony speech. He has lied on everything from upholding the Constitution, not wanting to take over the auto industry, to raising taxes on working Americans, to trying terrorists in military courts, to being tough on Iran, etc.. While calling Obama a liar may be strong it is fair.
Ret. Marine| 12.12.09 @ 8:52AM
and therein ly's the problem for all of the socialist bend, sorry to inform you but, this is not a democracy, it is a Representative Republic.
Aaron Levitt| 12.11.09 @ 8:40PM
Sorry, I forgot to update the numbering on my list after adding a couple of items.
Pingback| 12.11.09 @ 8:48PM
The American Spectator : Peacenicked | namibia today links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 12.11.09 @ 8:48PM
The American Spectator : Peacenicked | namibia today links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Aaron Levitt| 12.11.09 @ 11:17PM
Michael, I respect your signing your name, but your claims are simply ridiculous
The surge has been approved and, even if what you're saying is correct (I haven't seen anything to suggest that it is), there are far more troops involved in the surge. A Commander-in-Chief, particularly one with such limited military experience, is completely within his rights to conduct a long strategy review before sending more troops into harm's way, planned or otherwise. That's not even considering the issue of maintaining leverage over Karzai during the election debacle, or other factors that presumably contributed to the review. The review, itself, has been praised in strong terms by just about every major player, and they certainly aren't a bunch of liberals! Perhaps you wish someone with more military experience had been elected, but again, that's democracy for you. American presidents are elected by 'the people', not any one person, even if that person is Michael Tomlinson.
As for failing to uphold the Constitution, this accusation is constantly repeated, but without any foundation whatsoever. When Obama does anything that is overturned by the Supreme Court, or perhaps that Constitutional experts widely agree will be overturned, then there might be something to it, but not until then. I don't doubt that the President is doing things you *wish* were against the Constitution, but once again, that's not the standard.
President Obama probably didn't *want* to take over the auto industry, at least there's no evidence that he did, and I can't imagine why he would. He never came anywhere close to promising, however, that the government wouldn't intervene to preserve the industry. He quite explicitly wanted to stabilize the economy, and judged that preserving the US auto industry was necessary to this end. This judgment was supported by pretty much every economic figure of any stature in the country. As someone with a tolerable understanding of economics (and a 'son of Michigan', to boot), I don't think he had any choice. There was widespread agreement that the auto industry's collapse would have triggered an unbelievable domino effect that would have just about destroyed the fragile national economy, and that's no 'liberal' issue. You may disagree with what was done, or with the reasoning, but you'll hardly have a leg to stand on, and there was certainly no lie involved.
Obama didn't say he wouldn't raise taxes on working Americans, as you almost certainly recall. He did say that he wouldn't raise taxes on Americans earning less than $250k/year, and so far he hasn't. I see no reason to believe he was insincere, and there is certainly no proof that he was. That doesn't mean, of course, that he'll ultimately be able to keep every promise. Remember Bush, Sr., and "read my lips"? I had tremendous respect for his decision to go back on that promise; he put what he believed to be necessary for the nation's welfare ahead of his personal honor. That's what I want, and expect, from a President.
I don't remember Obama promising that he would never try a terrorist in civilian courts, but then that wasn't an issue I followed closely. Republican Senator John Cornyn says you have it backwards. Speaking of the NYC trial decision, he told CNN that "Putting political ideology ahead of the safety of the American people just to fulfill an ill-conceived campaign promise is irresponsible." So, according to Cornyn, this is Obama going out on a limb to *keep* a campaign promise. I'm not sure it's a good decision, but it's hardly a lie.
As regards Iran, Obama talked repeatedly (maybe too much) about diplomacy, negotiations, dialogue, etc. The "tough" talk was obviously intended to come after diplomacy failed. That may now have happened, and President Obama is working to get Russian and Chinese support on the UN Security Council to step up coercive measures. Without UN support, I don't see what "tough" options we have at the moment, unless you'd to start a third (and in conventional terms much tougher) war in the Middle East while we already have two running. I don't know a single, credible military figure who supports such a move, and thank G-d for that. Deliberately choosing to fighting on three simultaneous fronts? No thanks!
In the end, of course, President Obama may not fulfill every campaign promise. In fact, he almost certainly won't; no politician ever has, or will, and to be completely rigid in an ever-changing world (even if it were possible), would be the height of irresponsibility. Overall, however, Obama has acted with great consistency and integrity. You just don't like the guy, and you're still unwilling to admit that your complaint is necessarily about the democratic process by which he was elected.
kneechi| 12.12.09 @ 2:33AM
mr. levitt that is the most intelligent series of statements yet made in this forum. my name is james, i use kneechi because it audibly sounds my favorite philosopher, nietzsche.
all the best to you sir.
Marc Jeric| 12.12.09 @ 7:53AM
Abu Hussein did not save auto industry - he saved the union, with my money.
kneechi| 12.12.09 @ 12:43PM
mr. bush invaded a sovereign nation without much critical thought using significantly more of your money and also resulting in the death and injuries of 30,000 of our soldiers. were you just as mad about that? and please respect the office of the president and call him either mr. obama or president obama. do not do so is to not be a good american.
Sir| 12.14.09 @ 11:42AM
Yep. You're still a condescending bore.
Pingback| 12.12.09 @ 1:22AM
The Two Malcontents » Obama:Peacenicked links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Yosemeti Sam| 12.12.09 @ 1:32AM
AS is such a goldmine for responsive comments :)
" ... Norwegians, according to press reports, felt a bit used...."
But if their forte is grabbing their ankles - what's
the surprise?
martin j smith| 12.12.09 @ 8:50AM
Now that I have read other posts my conclusion is to asky Why Kneechi chooses to post on a blog of people who he claims to distate ? I would say the same to Liberal Reader as well. I wonder how tolerant Daily Kos and Hufington Posts folk would be of conservative trolls on their sites. Some how not at all. For this Kneechi-- or who ever you are --should be grateful that he has more opportunity to express views that I certainly disagree with than the other way around. This said I really think its is important that being articulate is good--but asking hard questions about who a person who obviously disagrees with most posters here really is is important. Motivation is key. What makes Kneechi for example the ONE to judge the "level of decency"--There is a kind of arrogance in judgementalism in this regard. People here post real oppinions from the guts. I think that is ok and yet Kneechi and his ilk still can participate --that is key as well--So I say: be grateful that you have the opportunity to have your say . It is the other side who wants to stifle if not end free speach.
kneechi| 12.12.09 @ 12:35PM
"level of decency" obviously is a subjective idea. i'm just saying that one can disagree in a sophisticated manner. you don't need to disparage a person themselves to disagree with what they say or how they act. i'm guilty of it myself sometimes, but the goal should always be not to. do you agree?
im only 32 and completely without an education. i barely passed high school (thanks to a work release program) and never went to college. i'm completely self educated.
i just do not like the way our country is going as it relates to political discourse. so i choose to directly engage people, both left and right, who don't seem to care about opinions of those who differ from them. that lack of empathy is unhealthy in my view. once this empathy is employed however, your political views become more complex, and you no longer vote along party lines. this in turn makes it impossible for a party to "predict" they have your vote and forces them to be more moderate. that is positive for our country.
martin j smith| 12.12.09 @ 3:12PM
OK lets look how the BIG BOYS play this out in Washington. Obama calls his oponents "scare mongerers" when they point out specific pointsin health care proposed bills that folks should be afriad of such as limits to health care,costs of health care etc etc. Nancy Pelosi calls Tea Party goers Nazis,Harry Reid compares those who oppose the Health Care Bill ( whatever that is
since no one has read it except for those on the Right who let the cat out of the bag ) opponents of civil rights and there is plenty more. So please
if folks who oppose oppression get angry and mift
too bad for you. It is the Democrats who compared Bush to Nazis it is the Democrats who continue to use or blame Bush for everything and take no responsibility. I think it is abnormal not to get angry.
JimE| 12.13.09 @ 5:48PM
It's not your lack of education, it's your lack of intelligence that is the problem. Now go grovel for an obama handout. Be sure to ask about FREE fisting lessons too.
Aaron Levitt| 12.12.09 @ 9:26AM
Yes, Ret. Marine, the U.S. is, of course, a representative republic, rather than a direct democracy. I was using the shorthand. What's your point?
Ret. Marine| 12.12.09 @ 8:45PM
Words have meaning.
Ken (Old Texican)| 12.12.09 @ 1:50PM
OH Aaron, I was hoping you would ask that. Retired Marine, may I?
Duh! Clown, we have a constitution that Obama lied about defending on his swearing in. Did you hear him choke on the word "protect"?
...Well, we have it recorded in his own words that he wants to re-write our constitution right there in the whitehouse....uh to make it "living" document, adding his own personal definitions.
You know, sometimes you Jewish folks who ought to know better, just keep ignoring the construction of the new ovens being prepared for you folks.
Please sir, get your blinders off while we and our constitution can still cover your hiney.
kneechi| 12.12.09 @ 3:47PM
ken i don't speak of anyone as im about to regarding you. the thoughts from your brain are truly discusting, and you are a cancer in our society. whatever has happened in your life to make you so despicable, you must address that (and forgive those who hurt you) before you dig even deeper into your madness.
Ted R.| 12.12.09 @ 2:26PM
Oh, that's real good, Texan. Mr. Levitt has written, above, a quite throrough reality-based takedown of all the anti-Obama ravings on this site. And what do you come back with? More cheap rhetoric, but this time with a dash of anti-Semitism thrown in. Your kind has almost ruined this country. Now it's the Liberals' responsibility to clean up your mess and bring our country back from the brink.
martin j smith| 12.12.09 @ 3:14PM
We have group of lefties on the case it seems.
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Ken (Old Texican)| 12.12.09 @ 6:45PM
Hi Martin
Will you forgive me if I do a copy paste of my own words from another thread? My words just fit well here.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I cannot express my delight well enough. I don't have the words.
When these little twits throw stuff at me, each of you get a deeper and deeper understanding of how confused they truly are.
Each of you begin to understand that they have no clue about what happens if they actually get their fantasies come true, and we productive citizens are successfully harnessed like mules to do their plowing for them.
When, like the stubborn mules we are, we sit down in our harnesses.....they literally starve.
Let me repeat that. They may literally starve to death.
They are nothing more than parasites on our society, and if they got their way, they would kill the very "mules" that sustain their non-productive little lives.
Fortunately for America, they are a small lunatic fringe. It is simply beyond them to ever understand the complex, fragile, economic infrastructure upon which they rest their weary little heads.
It is simply beyond them to even imagine the "Mule" truck driver not delivering their food on time, or the mule farmer refusing to plant a crop for a year.
In their wildest imaginings, they cannot picture what their world would be like if the “mules”in the oil fields simply closed the valves, and the mules in the coal mines parked their equipment....for even a month.
As I sat quietly last evening I found myself weighing and balancing government power versus the power of we who know how to do all the things that the twits do not:
. ...planting...harvesting...engineering...building...wiring...practicing medicine ...delivering ...milling ... etc. ad finitum.
Do they really believe we will do all these things we know how to do… at the point of a gun?
For many years in our country, small groups practicing civil disobedience have caused some serious “inconveniences” across the country.
The twits still do not understand that we "mules" will, sooner than later, run out of patience. We won’t even have to indulge in civil disobedience on any large scale. We will only have to take a month’s vacation with our feet up…and watch the lights, (uh electricity), go out coast to coast, while we watch the food-store shelves gradually empty.
So, in the final analysis, if the twits got their fondest wishes, they would be the twits ground under the consequences first…and worst…by their own best buddies in the gubmint.
As I cast my final thoughts into the future last evening, I realized once again that next November, (2010), if the communists manage to rig the elections, or indeed somehow make them irrelevant, then DECEMBER is the very best month to put our feet up, or to use an earlier metaphor…simply sit down in our harnesses for a month…with a long cold winter on the way.
You know…I slept very well.
JP| 12.12.09 @ 9:08PM
One has to admit that many people -including Peggy Noonan (Obama has moved to the Center, Hurray!)- were visibly impressed with our President's speech. Ironically, the same day he gave his Nobel Address, his EPA Chief threatened (Chicago Style) Congress -"either pass Cap and Trade, or else! Behold the power of my agency! " Sometimes it is easier to just watch a President's actions than to listen to his words.
Some pundits (conservative ones) believe that the President finally has realized how unpopular he has become, and are happy with his rhetorical change of heart. Personally, I agree. But only partly. Sure, any pol can read internal polling. But this President also knew for quite awhile that his window of oppurtunity was a short one. It was as if he understood that the rubes would certainly rebel against his take over of health care and his radical Green agenda. From the beginning he was prepared to "use this crisis" to the hilt. And he had the perfect cast in Congress to assist him. Pelosi and Reid were more than prepared to give him all and more than he could ever hope for. Let them take the heat, while he plays the political Oracle sitting above the fray on Delphi.
The only problems are unemployment and the Afghan War. His poll numbers are in free fall. And the public, drunk on his anti-Bush rhetoric, took his words to heart. You can only disparge the 8 year Bush War on Terror for so long. The public, it turned out, listened to him only too well. After 8 months, they now associate Afghanistan as his war, and are blaming him for his sins of being Commander-in-Chief. And since he was inaurgerated, 4 million workers have lost thier jobs, while he became obessed with ObamaCare. He finally realized that the voters are not impressed with his lofty, rhetoric. But do not fret. There are still influential moderate pundits who pine for the good ol' days of January 2009. Noonan, Frum, Brooks, and Gergen (just to name a few) are more than willing to forgive and forget Oh please oh Great One - entertain us with your Deep Thoughts of yore!) . If he would only show some humility and go to the Center. Heck, he may even earn some support from those brave GOP Senators Gramm, Lugar, and Snowe. And if he can attract them, who knows, enough Independents may just push up his poll numbers long enough to at least get ObamaCare passed through Congress by New Years. Yes, that's the ticket! And if Wall St doesn't crash, and enough economic activity gets generated by Spring, well then the MSM will be able to create enough spin (Happy Days Are Here Again!) that even Cap and Trade will pass by July.
Of course, this is very short term. The President, I think believes that at least one Congressional House will change hands next year. But, with both ObamaCare and Cap and Trade written into law, there is no way the GOP will change it. Remember, there are enough senators in the GOP who would love to "do business with The Anointed One". They can't say so until after the 2010 Primaries are over with. Even if the Senate changes hands, Lugar, Gramm, Collins, Snowe, Chambliss, and Alexander will ensure that Obama's landmark laws remain just that - landmark laws.
The more things change the more they remain they same. That is, until the dollar collapses and unemployment hits 15%.
Margie| 12.13.09 @ 1:19PM
Well it seems that the spin you mention in your post has started... today on the radio I hear "The recession is over!" I wonder how that can be when real unemployment is closer to 18% if you don't count new Marxist Government Jobs "created" by Obummer.
~Unbelievable.
InexperiencedChicagoPunk| 12.12.09 @ 9:39PM
We have a Dumbshit for a president.
Live with it....
Work against it....
Denigrate EVERYTHING he says....
Give him NO credit....
This is WAR....
War for our very way of life....
FIRE those Obama supporters in your sphere of control and replace them with conservatives....
Those "O" supporters HELPED get him into office and accordingly have CONTRIBUTED to the economic HITS you will endure....
They continue to support him probably while ON YOUR TIME CLOCK...
FIRE 'em.... Now
Their SAVIOR is the cause of 10.2% unemployment - let them have a DOSE of it....
martin j smith| 12.13.09 @ 7:46AM
Here is the point to my last comment: trolls are not really here to engage in serious "debate" rather to disrupt the blog. That is it !!!!! Disrupt and take over the blog !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Identify,isolate,highlight
and ignore. Wow that sounds like...Saul Alinsky only he would say attack.
Art| 12.13.09 @ 12:14PM
"... crawl into Arafat's bunk ...". You mean like the terrorist Begin did.
Neo| 12.13.09 @ 1:49PM
In a mis-defense of Mr. Obama, I have to say he has now supplied some the the best quotes for future Presidents who intend to go to war.
I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda’s leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force may sometimes be necessary is not a call to cynicism -- it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.
Expect to see this quote again and again long after Obama is only known as "that anti-war President."
sompost | 12.13.09 @ 9:09PM
OH Aaron, I was hoping you would ask that. Retired Marine, may I?
Duh! Clown, we have a constitution that Obama lied about defending on his swearing in. Did you hear him choke on the word "protect"?
...Well, we have it recorded in his own words that he wants to re-write our constitution right there in the whitehouse....uh to make it "living" document, adding his own personal definitions.
You know, sometimes you Jewish folks who ought to know better, just keep ignoring the construction of the new ovens being prepared for you folks.
Please sir, get your blinders off while we and our constitution can still cover your hiney. http://sompost.com/
lee| 12.13.09 @ 9:26PM
OBAMA WOULD BE GREAT ON A CATTLE DRIVE.
HE IS SO GOOD AT ROUNDING UP THE BULL!!
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