The American Spectator : Shadows on the Summit

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Shadows on the Summit

By Robert Stacy McCain on 5.17.12 @ 6:09AM

A weakened Obama will face European woes at the G-8.

HAGERSTOWN, Maryland — They don’t teach economics at Harvard Law School. That’s the only explanation I’ve been able to offer for President Obama’s consistently wrongheaded policies for the past three years. Of course, we’ve never seen any of Obama’s transcripts, so we can only speculate what courses he took at Occidental College, Columbia University or Harvard Law. Being therefore compelled to judge his familiarity with economics based entirely on his record and public rhetoric, we are reminded of Ronald Reagan’s famous quip: “The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn’t so.”

Whether the result of ignorance or misinformation, Obama’s economic incompetence has made him a laughingstock. Yesterday, the Senate rejected his budget by a 99-0 vote. The joke might be funnier, were it not for the 23 million Americans who can’t find a job. The pathetic blunder that is Obamanomics — record deficits, an inflationary monetary policy and an alleged “recovery” that has scarcely dented persistently high unemployment — undermines our international prestige. If the United States can’t get its fiscal house in order, what claim can the president make to world economic leadership?

America’s weakness in the Obama era will be on display Friday as leaders from seven nations arrive at Camp David for the G-8 Summit: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minster David Cameron, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihido Noda, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and France’s newly-elected president, Francois Hollande. Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t attend the summit, sending Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev in his stead. Putin’s absence is widely viewed as a deliberate snub, evidence of worsening U.S.-Russian relations.

The economic crisis that threatens to engulf Europe will be the prime topic of discussion at the G-8, but there isn’t much the United States can do to help. Instead, Obama is expected to urge Merkel to support a policy of “growth,” which is liberal-speak for the sort of Keynesian deficit-spending measures that the U.S. has pursued under Obama’s administration. Merkel’s Germany is the most solvent economic power in the European Union. If the euro is to be saved, German bankers will be crucial to the deal. As opposed to Obama’s Keynesian “growth,” Germany has steadily demanded a policy of “austerity,” which is to say fiscal responsibility through the reduction of government spending.

Europe’s crisis has been caused by out-of-control government debt in the so-called PIIGS — Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain — whose feeble economies threaten to take down the entire European financial system. Patient Zero in the fiscal epidemic is Greece, which has been bleeding currency at the rate of $5 billion a month since 2009. Terms of a bailout loan backed by the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund imposed stiff austerity requirements on the Greek government, provoking angry and occasionally violent demonstrations by Greeks accustomed to living at government expense. Last week’s elections in Greece saw gains by a radical-left coalition whose demagogic leader, Alexis Tsipras, has called austerity a “disease” for which he blames Merkel. Another round of Greek elections is scheduled for next month, and the possibility that it will bring Tsipras to power has frightened those already worried about Greece. Depositors reportedly withdrew $890 million from Greek banks Monday, raising concerns of a possible all-out panic.

Even if Greece’s woes don’t trigger a complete collapse, the ongoing European crisis continues to undermine prospects for a genuine recovery in the United States. With the presidential election less than six months away, the troubling economic picture is bad news for Obama’s re-election prospects, as James Pethokoukis of the American Enterprise Institute explained Wednesday.

This year’s G-8 had originally been scheduled for Chicago, but was moved to the more secluded Camp David — a move for which leaders of the “Occupy” protest movement claimed credit. Yet if U.S. officials thought they could escape the rowdy Occupiers altogether, they reckoned wrong. While the Camp David compound itself is carefully guarded, Occupy protesters have announced plans to descend on the nearby town of Thurmont, population 6,098. The police chief in this tiny burg in Maryland’s rustic Catoctin Mountains has expressed confidence that local, state and federal law enforcement will be able to cope with the Occupy demonstrations at the G-8. “We’ve got our plans together and we’re ready to deal with it,” Chief Greg Eyler told Baltimore’s WBAL-TV. Occupy movement leaders insist that their protest plans are entirely peaceful. “We’re not looking to come in and cause trouble,” one Occupier told the Baltimore Sun.

Having witnessed an Occupy mob in raging frenzy last year (“The Mob Who Came to Dinner,” Nov. 7), I have no more confidence in such pacific promises from the protesters than I do in Obama’s economic competence. Much like the president, the Occupiers don’t want to let a crisis go to waste.

About the Author

Robert Stacy McCain is co-author (with Lynn Vincent) of Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Democratic Party (Nelson Current). He blogs at The Other McCain.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (62) | Leave a comment Leave a comment

Questions| 5.17.12 @ 6:26AM

They already see him as a joke. Don't you remember Sarkozy's speech, where he ridiculed the idea of living in a virtual world, as opposed to the real one. That was several years ago, to be sure, but their estimation of him hasn't risen in the interim.

They probably see him more as a joke than even we do!

Jack in Wi.| 5.17.12 @ 7:05AM

What a motley crew! Is it any wonder the world is on the verge of a financial and moral collapse, comparable to the 30's? This gang is the problem not the solution. Tell me Mitt Romney is going to do a better job? He is another Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan guy just like the rest of them.

chuck| 5.17.12 @ 7:49AM

Go eat a bullet, troll.

Teaghan| 5.17.12 @ 12:23PM

Mitt Romney will do a better job.

No question.

Questions| 5.17.12 @ 2:56PM

Concur.

Romney will assuredly do a better job, --------- he can't possibly be worse than our messiah, who will assuredly go down as the worst President in American history.

Occam's Tool| 5.17.12 @ 6:53PM

Amazing that not ONE Liberal Senator voted for Obama's budget.

TLP| 5.18.12 @ 6:02AM

Again!

Purp| 5.17.12 @ 8:28AM

And, now Sarkozy is history, tossed out on his ear... ruh-roh, guess he wasn't all that great, huh?

Calvin| 5.17.12 @ 8:41AM

Next stop, Obama. Those are some big ears to be tossed out on.

Questions| 5.17.12 @ 2:57PM

The point wasn't to make all that of Sarkozy, but rather to point out the slim opinion they have of him.

TrueBlue | 5.18.12 @ 10:29AM

Sarkozy was tossed out because he *gasp* tried to get the French government's spending under control instead of "investing" in more government programs like Greece.

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 5.17.12 @ 6:51AM

In a final twist of irony, all of those governments are broke, issuing fiat currency.

One day the public will realize how worthless the fiat currency is and then you will observe real trouble.

TLP| 5.17.12 @ 9:25AM

I understand that, in Public Speaking, people are taught that a good way to break the tension, or to relax, if you are the one speaking, is A: Start off with a joke. B: Imagine your Audience in their Underwear. C: If you happen to "Roll" like Alan, or you're Andrew Sullivan, Imagine them Naked with your head in their crotch.

I choose A. Tell a joke.

How many men are there, in that picture?

One. Angela Merkel. (rim shot)

Now, where were we?

Once again, and for the gajillionth time, he who would claim to Illuminate for us, the ways of the world, begins his missive, with the False Assumption that: The only reason that the Child of Lenin, Marx, and Mao, continues to put forth "Consistantly Wrongheaded Policies" is that "they don't teach Economics at Harvard.

Whether the result of Ignorance or Misinformation, Obama's Economic Incompetence blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda?

You people have to stop treating him as an Equal. He is not. He is a Devout Believer in an Archaic Philosophy that thrived for Millenia, after Millenia, in both the Dark Ages, and the Renaissance.

Total Control of the MASSES, from a Central Authority, held together by the threat of Overwhelming Force. Like Islam.

He does what he does, because he MUST. It's in his DNA. It's a huge part of his Lineage. His Upbringing. His life.

HE is THE ONE they've been waiting for.

You presuppose that he is Unhappy with his results, thus far. I disagree. The obvious quickest way to make people follow you, is to convince them that YOU are their only Salvation, and that the other guy would Kill you in your sleep, if he ever got the chance.

Think: The Black Community.

Obama's goal is to create a whole Country full of Black Communities. He needs EVERYONE to give up their Pride, their Liberty, and their Sense of Self Worth? He needs EVERYONE on their knees, with their Hands Out. And the best was tomfascilitate this, is through a Total Destruction of the Middle Class.

An Illegal Drilling Moratorium. A LIE, to cover his Purposeful Rejection of the Keystone Pipeline. Unrelentless attacks on the Oil, Gas, and Coal Industries. Unrelentless attacks on every other Business via his EPA, his Interior Department, and his NLRB. Add to that, his IRS, his Justice Department, an Ocean of Regulations, and a Soviet Style Health Care Plan, just like the ones that are CRIPPLING Europe.

Now, you tell me that this is all happening, at the same time, in Concert with one another, because he's Ignorant and Misguided. Or, because he's so Stupid.

And get a new picture of yourself.

It looks Creepy, like there should be an Amber Alert posted beside it.

I'm just saying.

aeroguy48| 5.17.12 @ 6:42PM

Good analsys Buckarro TLP but you missed one by a mile, the only man in the picture is Stephen Harper of Canada, he was voted in on a pure conservative landslide ie. free market and he had the cajones to nix the Kyoto treaty the next day he was sworn in office, Merkel and company wont admit they are wrong about the nanny-I know better state.

TLP| 5.18.12 @ 6:14AM

I disagree.

Methinks that Amber Alert Boy, is the one who has missed the boat.

You can't agree with MY Analysis, AND Creepy Picture's, at the same time.

He's either STUPID, like your Hero says, or he's doing it all ON PURPOSE, like my Hero (Me) says.

Appleby| 5.17.12 @ 7:33AM

Stephen Harper, the Canadian PM that none of you could pick out of a lineup, is probably the most normal of the crowd. True, Canada is raging with socialism and is a loose confederation of provinces that hate each other, but it's the kind of hatred you'll see among sorority girls and not likely to make you nervous, just exasperated. The real advantage Canada has, and Harper is exploiting it to the hilt, is that nobody takes it seriously. When nobody expects anything of you, whatever you do is fine with them...and you can go quietly about your business staying out of the way. Canada is kind of a safety valve for the USA, and vice versa: the seven last words of Canada are these "I will buy it in the States." There is a good reason 80% of the population of Canada lives a two hour drive from the American border. But with Harper at the helm, we do it quietly so nobody notices us ... and it works. As long as America doesn't go socialist, too, that is. Canadians are slow to pick up on this, but the only thing that makes Canadian socialism work is the pop-off valve across the border.

If Obama had any ability to look outside the imaginary world he inhabited, he could learn a lot from the bland, smiling, quietly working Stephen Harper.

oldfart| 5.17.12 @ 8:12AM

There is a school of economics at Harvard. It has some very notable graduates.
The President of the United States
The President of France
The Prime Minister (when selected) of Greece.
The Prime Minister of Italy.
The Prime Minister of Spain.
The Prime Minister of Ireland.
The Governor of Illinois.
The Governor of Maryland.
The Governor of California.
The Governor of New York.
And a LOT more.

The following are not graduates of that school.
The Governor of New Jersey
The Governor of Wisconsin.
The Chancellor of Germany.
The Prime Minister of Poland.
And a VERY few more.

You get the idea.

Purp| 5.17.12 @ 8:32AM

What's with the non-Harvard crowd - weren't they smart enough? Or just too nasty. BTW - Germany didn't allow people to become unemployed - by law jobs were shared (less than 40 hours) to make sure everyone kept their jobs in the recession. Would you accept that here? H*ll no, you woudn't ... Germany has Universal Healthcare too. Why not here? Remember, when you shine a light on who you admire, you get it all, not just what you want to cherry pick.

oldfart| 5.17.12 @ 8:56AM

Hell yes I would accept job sharing. It is going on now. Corporations are checking the cost of Obamacare and realize that the cost is way to high. So they just hire more people at less than 30 hours a week.
And the German Healthcare is structured very very different than the so called Affordable Care Act. No comparision at all.

oldfart| 5.17.12 @ 9:09AM

Oh by the way Purp - did you even read what I wrote? Where did I say I admired any of the people I listed? The list is by the results - those that over their back sides in debt and those that have their finances somewhat under control.
Do you run your checking account like Greece with credit cards maxed out?
Or do you run your checking account to live within your income?
Have you ever lived in Europe? Have you ever seen and experienced their health care system? I have.
Perhaps you should engage your brain before you bang on the keyboard.

Calvin| 5.17.12 @ 9:21AM

"Smart enough" in purp speak means incompetent. That is a very interesting list and might cause one to blackball Harvard grads. They apparently can only screw things up and drive the institutions they manage into bankruptcy.

Teaghan| 5.17.12 @ 12:28PM

Germany wouldn't have had a job shortage if they hadn't been overrun with muslims.

ebonystone| 5.20.12 @ 7:31PM

In general, all the European countries would have a lot fewer economic problems, not just unemployment, if they didn't have millions of Moslem deadbeats on the dole. There'd be a lot less crime, and less expense on police and prisons; and less strain on the health and education systems.

Occam's Tool| 5.17.12 @ 6:55PM

U of Chicago is the Premier Economics faculty in the US, NOT Harvard, purp. You fell into that.

Thanks, Oldfart.

Von Mises Jr| 5.17.12 @ 8:18AM

Will Obama join the Summit or the Occupiers? I don't think they will be community organizing at the Summit, so he will be out of his comfort zone. But perhaps the OWS crowd wouldn't welcome the Bama at this point?

oldfart| 5.17.12 @ 8:23AM

He will try to do both.

Purp| 5.17.12 @ 8:33AM

He fights for the Occupiers and Represents the US to the Summit. He is our President and you should respect him and support him.

Calvin| 5.17.12 @ 8:53AM

Dissent is the highest form of patriotism. Purp seems to have forgot. Purp wants to give the big O the Kim Jung Il treatment but we want to boot his incompetent butt out into retirement. He can't even find support among his fellow Democrats. 99-0 in the Senate and 413-0 in the House looks like a "leader" that can't get respect even in his own party. All he has is a merry band of gay trolls.

chuck| 5.17.12 @ 9:04AM

The same way you assholes respected and supported GW Bush.

Still claiming you got a PhD?

Von Mises Jr| 5.17.12 @ 9:12AM

Perp, Riddle me this: Did Obama interview Kevin Jennings for the gay Czar in the Lincoln Bedroom? How did Kev demonstrate his ability to perform the JOB?

W| 5.17.12 @ 9:45AM

Purp
Have you found the law review article written and published by Obama when he was the elected president of Harvard Law Review?
Keep looking and keep us posted.

Dave Williams| 5.17.12 @ 10:21AM

Like you respected and supported Bush? Sure....

Teaghan| 5.17.12 @ 12:30PM

Screw you Purp. He shows NO respect or support for anyone who dare disagree with his royal assness. He does NOT represent ME or my family.
He's a pariah and needs to be removed from office.

Von Mises Jr| 5.17.12 @ 3:25PM

Where's Perp/Brooksie/DRedful/Twitvin? Silence is consent!

Mike Hawk| 5.17.12 @ 3:49PM

I detest him and will not support him. He hates me, my country and what we are. Screw him and screw you too. Being young and stupid, you will when you are old, still be stupid. Wisdom will not seep into your brain as it is blocked by egotistical arrogance. That you have in common with Obozo.

Occam's Tool| 5.17.12 @ 6:57PM

I despise the Occupiers. I know you support shitting on police cars, Purp, but I don't.

I show him much more respect than you showed W.

hardcard| 5.17.12 @ 8:56AM

purp=troll=soros

Von Mises Jr| 5.17.12 @ 9:51AM

hardcard, have you noticed that Perp, Brooksie, DRedful and Twitvin never comment together or at the same time. I know why.
We have ONE troll with at least four maybe more names. It only makes sense. You could not find more than one traitorous, ignorant loser at one time.
Figure it from Soros point of view. Would you pay Perp $20/hr? If he is four trolls at once, it would be about his going rate of $5/hr. I think there may be six or eight of him that would make his real value $2.50 to $3.33 per hour. Now that is understandable from an evil socialist that takes down country's currencies!

W| 5.17.12 @ 10:27AM

Von
Purp claims he is a consultant for a Fortune 10 company and is in the 1% .
Purp may be Keth Olberman.

Von Mises Jr| 5.17.12 @ 10:47AM

I don't think so. Olberman isn't even smart enough to make the non sequitur, nonsensical arguements Perp/Brooksi/DRedful/Twitvin make. But I like the way you think.

chuck| 5.17.12 @ 11:38AM

He cleans toilets for Immelt at GE. He also claims he has a PhD, after cut and pasting some scientific crap from Wikipedia.

Teaghan| 5.17.12 @ 12:31PM

Cutting and pasting? Like the White House inserting obama into the past presidents bios?
Desperation can make you do silly things.

From the Desk of Media Matters| 5.17.12 @ 1:09PM

Dear Royal Pains In The Asses MM Staff Conservatives We May Inevitably Switch Sides To As The First Homosexual President Of Downgrade Ever Is Toast In November And Even All Our Other Bottom Rung MM Mindless Retarded Parrots Except Polly Penelope Jacquelina Rachel Fecal Barney Dreadful Barney Fecal Maddow Moscow Pink Pansy Pantywaste Pelosi Know It,

MM staff due to the implosion of the reerection campaign of the first homosexual president of downgraded dog-eared one is not so much interested in adhering to MM policy any more.

MM staff therefore feels no compunction about revealing that the true identity of Jacquelina Barney Fecal Dreadful Rachel Prissy Pelosi is really Joseph Robinette Biden.

Sincerely,

- MM staff

fiscal| 5.17.12 @ 11:19AM

Another misstatement by McCain. The budget presented in Congress was the Republican's interpretation of Obama's plan, not the plan itself. That's why there were no votes for it -- it was purely a political ploy. Republicans put it up to so they could vote against it and Dems, knowing that it was not a real plan, also voted against it. How many people on this board were fooled by this lie?????

The truth is that neither side has a realistic plan and this is all just politics. Romney's plan creates more of a deficit than Obama's and that's why the Republicans won't put that one up for a vote. The Dems won't put up any plan because they have absolutely no answers.

We are so engaged in political hate speak like this that no one is putting up a realistic solution. The only plan that approached realism was Simpson-Bowles and the Dems don't like the cuts in entitlements and the Republicans don't like the cuts in defense and the small tax increase.

We are in trouble because no one on the extreme right and extreme left cares about the country anymore -- they only care about hating the other side.

Bob, is that you?| 5.17.12 @ 12:23PM

99-0 in a Demcratically controlled Senate is pretty cool. Mr Fecal is now pronouncing wierd conspiracy theories to explain the total lack of support for the big O. It is shocking that Democratic Senate has done nothing with respect to the budget since the big O was elected. There is one side that doesn't have a plan. It is the progressive side, his side. The progressive side offers ineffectual symbolic actions like the Buffet tax. It is a small amount of money (wrt to the Big O's budget deficits) and they want to steal it from private investment. We are going to take money for real jobs and pay off gay money bundlers. That makes a lot of sense only to shake down artists and fascist economists. The big problems like entitlement spending that the big O has acknowledged get kicked down the road when we will have less choices. It is time for the one to go back to Chicago and grace that wonderful sewer pit with his presence.

fiscal| 5.17.12 @ 12:35PM

Conspiracy theories? You should know better...

fiscal| 5.17.12 @ 12:58PM

I wish Republicans also wanted entitlement cuts -- but they really don't. Cuts to Medicare and Social Security will affect the senior vote and Republicans have the advantage there. Again, it is all about politics.

And I don't think political votes help anyone. The statement that there was a total lack of support for Obama is simply a lie done for political reasons. He may not know what he is doing, but this was a Republican bill.

Bob, is that you?| 5.17.12 @ 3:24PM

Nonsense 3/5Bob. There have been proposals put forth in both the House and the Senate. That is different from the "push Grandma off the cliff" progressives. It seems like you project your own faults onto others. You were a mighty quiet soul when tax payer money was being paid out to gay money bundlers. What is your last name again?

Teaghan| 5.17.12 @ 12:32PM

Paul Ryan has put several good plans and Reid has tabled them all.
Dont' go there fiscal. Makes you look bad.

fiscal = fecal-brained| 5.17.12 @ 12:14PM

"We are in trouble because no one on the extreme right and extreme left cares about the country anymore -- they only care about hating the other side."

As an extreme left liberal who doesn't care about the country, yesterday you posted:

"The fact is that from the beginning to the end of the Bush administration, revenues actually declined."

Where is your proof of the "fact" of this decline?

and:

"Obama is not destroying the economy anymore than George Bush did."

Bush tax cuts led to 44% more federal revenue from 2003 to 2007. Where is any "fact" Obama has increased any economically positive number 44%?

Perhaps you can link to a nonsensical graph of meaningless irrelevant data you can use as "fact" to prove you are not an extreme left liberal who not only doesn't care about the country, is willing to lie in every post.

fiscal| 5.17.12 @ 12:52PM

You are right. When Bush took office the federal revenues were 3528 and when he left, revenues were 4700. When Obama took office revenues were 3635 and in 2012 they are projected to be 5088. That means Bush had an increase of 33% over 8 years while Obama has had an increase of 40% over 4 years. Clinton had an increase of 67% over 8 years. The statement I made was clearly wrong, but the conclusion that tax cuts do not increase federal revenue is correct.

I suggest you look at the statements by William Niskanen -- one of the chief economic advisors to Reagan and subsequently the head of Cato.

Thank you on the correction. And if you see where I get the actual data wrong again, please let me know.

fiscal + fecal-brained| 5.17.12 @ 2:00PM

"And if you see where I get the actual data wrong again, please let me know."

Perhaps you can persuade that federal revenue declined during the Bush administration, to those you are attempting to persuade, of the sense of the meaningful relevant data showing when Bush left office federal revenue were 4700 of something that is sensical meaningful relevant actual data not wrong again, while at the same time showing when Obama took office federal revenue were 3635 of something that is sensical meaningful relevant actual data not wrong again.

fiscal| 5.17.12 @ 12:54PM

One more comment... I still hold to the belief that Presidents have very little to do with the economy. It is more in the hands of private enterprise and the Fed. Again, there is virtually no correlation between marginal tax rates and GDP -- and I do have the numbers right there.

fiscal = fecal-brained| 5.17.12 @ 2:06PM

"Again, there is virtually no correlation between marginal tax rates and GDP -- and I do have the numbers right there."

Perhaps you could share the numbers other than in nonsensical graphs of meaningless irrelevant data with those you are attempting to persuade. Just a thought.

Or perhaps you could have suggested to those you are attempting to persuade to look at an article at Slate -- an extreme left liberal magazine brought about by extreme left liberal Michael Kinsley of the extreme left liberal magazine New Republic fame -- by extreme left liberal Eliot Spitzer, titled:

'Tax Fraud: Debunking the claim that higher income-tax rates reduce GDP"

When, of course, you are not, perhaps, sharing the numbers that isn't presented in nonsensical graphs of meaningless irrelevant data with those you are attempting to persuade.

2Anglico| 5.17.12 @ 10:10PM

"virtually no correlation between marginal tax rates and GDP", why don't you just give all your money to Tim Geithner? Of course, someone who lives off the dole is TOTALLY unaffected by marginal tax rates.

ABNCP| 5.17.12 @ 3:53PM

Obama and Putin, Hmmmm. I have had some thoughts on that relationship for some time now.
Something has been going on. Let me run this by everyone.

In 2009 Obama unilaterally and with no warning to Poland or the Czech Republic canceled the United States promise to install the Third Site Misslie Defense installations that were intended to combat the growing threat of the Iranian ballistic missle program. It was a massive betrayal to two key U.S. allies in easern and central Europe. What signal did that send to countries that look to America and NATO (really America) for protection? The cancelation of the Third Site is a shameful abandonment of American's friends in eastern and central Europe and a slap in the face for those who actually believed a key agreement with Washington was worth the paper it is written. I know, after all hell broke loose in Congress he promised them a smaller misslie defense system. Guess what, never happened. OBTW, to rub salt into a raw wound for Poland, the day that Obama pulled the plug in those missle installations was the anniversary date of the month and day the Russians invaded Poland in 1939 after Stalin signed the pact with Hitler's Germany. Great timing Obama you really made us look like crap.

But wait, what great deal did Obama receive from Putin for his embarrassing decision? Well actually nothing. Putin gave him bupkiss. What kind of an incompetant would throw two allies under the bus, which is shameful enough, but not even negotiate some kind of reciprocal arrangement of value to the U.S. What about making Putin back us up with the Iranian nuke problem? But no, Obama got nothing. Why would Obama do that? It makes no sense, even though we now know Obama does not know has ass from his elbow about foreign policy issues, it makes no sense. So what the hell was going on?
Maybe we can figure it out.

Last month Obama at the end of his meeting with Russian President Medvedev inadvertently spoke on an open mike and asked for "more flexibility" to deal with ongoing issues. The actual exchange went like this:
President Obama: On all these issues, but particularly MISSILE DEFENSE, this can be solved but it's important for him (Putin) to give me space.
President Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand you message about space for you.
President Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexability.
President Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to VLADIMIR (Putin)
This sounds like someone saying, "Hey, I will have the money in 48 hours. I just need some more time and flexability, give me a break man."
What the hell is the President of the United States sounding like this for? Let's take a look at Vladimir.

Vladimir Putin. Putin served as an officer in the KGB from 1975 to 1991. He served in the hierarchy of the KGB in the second Chief Directorate (counter intelligence) which is gathering information on foreigh intelligence operations. He then served in the KGB's 1st Chief Directorate (foreign esponage), in other words running spies in other countries. He then served in the Communist East German Republic and worked with the STASSI (the Communist East German Ministry of State Security) probably the worst gang of state sponsored terrorists after the KGB. After the cold war ended he bailed out when the Communist Union of Soviet Socalist Republics (USSR) collapsed. He worked through the new system and eventually became the President of Russia. Wow, what a guy, of course having all the background, connections and information on a lot of people probably helped out a lot.

After the collapse of Communisim the KGB became the FSB/SVR same song, different lyrics.
Communists Russia wasn't really good at most things it attempted however, one of things it did very well was espionage. Because of their excellent espionage programs, the KGB came up with loads of our secrets during the cold war. They had at least hundreds of agents in our country and those agents did very well.
The cold war is over but guess what, it is estimated that the FSB/SVR has just as many agents in this country as the KGB did during the cold war. They are here gathering as much information on our country as they can.

Now think about it. What if Putin decided to vet Obama. To look into all the background information Obama has paid almost one million dollars to keep hidden. To do the job our corrupt media has refused to do. To gather and develop as much information on Obama as his agents can.
One has to believe Putin has the desire, the infrastructure, the technology, the muscle and he understands the fantastic rewards to be had if he could get information about Obama the Obama cannot have made public.

Now what if Putin has come up with solid information on Obama's past, information that Obama is desperate to keep secret, things he can not allow to be become public knowledge? Maybe just maybe that would explain why Obama is doing pretty much everything Putin wants him to do. Remember, Putin was adamantly against that Third Site missle installation and raged against Bush for agreeing to it. Maybe that would explain why Obama would cancel that international treaty without any forewarning to strong allies making himself and our country look weak and untrustworthy to the world. Maybe the pressure Putin is putting on him is the reason he got caught on the open mike pleading with Medvedev to get Putin to give him more time.

OBTW, what he was pleading for more time from Putin for was putting in place programs that would reduce our MISSILE DEFENSE capabilities. Can you believe it, Obama wants to reduce our missle defenses when the crazy North Koreans and the mad mullahs in Iran are moving as fast as they can to build Nuke ICBM's in order to confront us with choices we do not want to have to make?

And now Putin has dissed the Pressy over the G-8 meeting. A meeting by all accounts Obama wanted to have Putin attend. Perhaps Putin has decided Obama is a lost cause. If so, don't be suprised if some very interesting information on the WON leaks out.

ebonystone| 5.20.12 @ 7:55PM

It wouldn't surprise me to learn that Putin, courtesy of the former KGB, has true copies of Obama's birth certificate and his college transcripts from both Columbia and Harvard, as well as his tax records, at his fingertips. Hell, he's probably got copies of Obama's report cards from his grade school in Indonesia.

KyMouse| 5.17.12 @ 4:32PM

This is OT except for the fact that it is about a world leader (of sorts). I just read that Ahmadinijad says he will attend the London Olympics in spite of the fact that the logo spells out "Zion."

Am I the only person who thinks the logo looks like...um...a homosexual rape?

Peter| 5.17.12 @ 5:46PM

The fundamental problem with this post is that despite Obama's woeful performance, he only sucks less than the other G-8 leaders. It's not like there are any stars on the docket, although Merkel probably stands head and shoulders above all the rest. Obama? He brings up the rear as a weak, whiney weasel.

cicero| 5.17.12 @ 9:28PM

The Europeans are in deep trouble. They are faced with the problem of either accepting economic reality or saving their banker friends. They tried the "rescue our buddies" trick over the past two years, and thought the taxpayers would agree to get nothing for their tax dollars. Now, all of the bonds that were issued to replace the bonds previously held by the bankers are held by the taxpayers, both European and American (see World Bank, and Fed purchase of euroes with dollars). They now have no where else to go.
If they had done nothing, Greece would have defaulted, and the whole thing would have been over. Italy, Portugal and the others would have been given an object lesson in fiscal foolishness, and imposed real reforms. The bankers left holding the worthless bonds would have been a lesson for other bankers not to purchase bonds from bankrupt countries. As it is, the bankers will flee thee cities, like the medieval doges fleeing the plague, the cities will erupt in rage, and all of the currencies will be devalued to one half of their value or less. The political elite and bankers, who have been living off the taxpayer for decades, will see their hundreds of millions lose half of their value. Poor babies - they will struggle through. In the meanwhile, the poor will burn their own dwellings, and the middle class will eat their children.

POST American| 5.17.12 @ 10:07PM

----------------------FINAL WORD--------------------------

"Understand, it's IMPORTANT to
remember that these organizations
such as G8, G20, RIO Summit, the UN,
are NOT elected, NOT chartered by
ANY government, NOT mandated,
NOT approved or authorized by ANY
citizenry. These are, in essense, a bunch
of fronts for the PRIVATE Globalist
capstone, USURY, EUGENICS and,
one and all, working for the destruction
of their respective nations in the name of -----'world governance."
-Informed Radio online

SO kiddies, as ever ---keep a goin'

------GMO food and Bye Bye shots

-----------All goin' on while you listen to Paul Potts!

-------------------------------JUST KEEP ON GOIN'!

vincenzo spiaggi| 5.20.12 @ 7:50AM

Obama is what you get when you allow imbeciles and the illiterate to vote.

The American Spectator