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Obama’s Declaration of Political War
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Understanding the Norway Massacre
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Run, Rudy, Run
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The Wussification of America, NFL-Style
December 29, 2010 | 101 comments
Another Perspective
Hagel’s Problem? He’s ‘Mainstream’
The American defense and foreign policy establishment has a long record of failure.
Is Chuck Hagel “out of the mainstream”? That seems to be the crucial question surrounding Hagel’s nomination as Defense Secretary. Predictably, Bill Kristol says “yes” and Pat Buchanan says “no.” And as a result, Kristol seriously opposes Hagel’s nomination, while Buchanan strongly supports it.
Kristol and Buchanan are both right, and they’re both wrong, albeit for different reasons than either man would like to admit.
Hagel is, indeed, well within the mainstream of establishmentarian defense and foreign policy thinking, and that’s precisely the problem: On the major defense and foreign policy challenges that confront us today — Iran, Egypt, the Middle East, North Africa, failed and failing states, radical Islam, Chinese nationalism, et al. — the establishment is dangerously wrong and out of touch. And so, if Hagel is the establishment’s standard-bearer — which he is — then it makes perfect sense to oppose his nomination.
The establishment, for instance, thinks that the United States ought to be “even-handed” in the Middle East, and not favor either Israel or the Palestinians. It thinks that the greatest threat to peace and stability in the Middle East is not a nuclear Iran, but a militarily assertive Israel. And it thinks that it’s time for America to show benign neglect toward the rest of the world, and to engage, finally, in “nation-building here at home.”
Thus, say establishment voices (such as Hagel’s), it’s time to “pare down” the Pentagon and scale back our defense posture. Let us “pivot toward Asia,” negotiate with our enemies (the Taliban, Hezbollah, Hamas, et al.), and “lead from behind.”
Kristol to the contrary notwithstanding, there is nothing “radical” or “extreme” about these ideas. They represent perfectly acceptable, “mainstream” thinking in America today. Why, this is what we’ve been hearing from President Obama and his team for the past four years. And similar sentiments have been echoed by members of Congress, the Council on Foreign Relations, and various and sundry defense and foreign policy “experts” in New York and Washington.
Why, then, the hullabaloo over Hagel? Because there has always been a strong, dissenting voice within the establishment, a voice that has argued for the promotion of American values on the world stage, backed up by an assertive U.S. defense and foreign policy.
Ronald Reagan championed this dissenting school of thought (dubbed “neoconservative”) during the latter years of the Cold War. His policy was not to contain or accommodate communism, but instead, to roll it back.
“My idea of American policy toward the Soviet Union is simple,” Reagan said. “We win and they lose.”
Thus Reagan increased military spending; invaded Grenada; armed rebel groups in Angola, Afghanistan, and Nicaragua; initiated a missile defense program; provided significant material support to Solidarity and the Polish labor unions; and resumed diplomatic relations with the Vatican or Holy See.
Of course, these policies frightened the establishment, which viewed Reagan as a reckless warmonger. But Reagan was right, and history bore him out. The Soviet empire dissolved; the Berlin Wall collapsed; and the Cold War was won.
Yet, could you imagine the howls of outrage from elite, “mainstream” opinion were a leading American politician to advocate a similar policy of engagement toward the Middle East, North Africa and radical Islam? Why, such a politician would be denounced as a reckless warmonger!
But it’s far from clear why we should defer to an establishment that has consistently proven itself to be myopic, shortsighted and wrong.
The establishment, for instance, failed utterly to anticipate September 11, 2001; and it failed to anticipate the very different military capabilities required for prolonged counterinsurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Not one Pentagon war plan in the 1980s or '90s included Afghanistan as a potential area of operation for the U.S. military, says the former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. James Cartwright. And now that Afghanistan and the world have been shown to be more complex and more challenging than previously thought, the establishment wants to bug out and go home — and oh yeah, pressure Israel to boot.
About the Author
John R. Guardiano blogs at www.ResCon1.com, and you can follow him on Twitter: @ResCon1.
Jack in Wi| 1.14.13 @ 6:50AM
Reagan negotiated with the Russians, visited and negotiated with the Chinese. He also pulled out of Middle East after the Lebanon fiasco and never went back. He hated nuclear weapons and wanted them eliminated. He negotiated and signed a huge nuclear weapons reduction treaty with his friend Mikhail Gorbachov. In his memoirs he said we should stay out of the Middle East period. He tried to establish relations with Iran. That is what Iran Contra was all about. Almost all his policies were based on sane realism. He never ever had the Neoconservatives as his key advisors. His key people were realists like George Schultz, George Bush, Caspar Weinberger, and Colin Powell. Hagel is a decorated vet who comes from that school of thought. I have a lot of disagreement with that school. But they are far better then the Chicken Hawk brigade of Fifth columnists of a corrupt and racist Middle East regime.
topcat52| 1.14.13 @ 8:06PM
Why were the hostages in Iran released virtually as soon as Reagan was sworn in? Because the mullahs were scared sh**less of him. That gave him the "cred" to be able to talk establish relations with Iran from a position of strength, which still didn't work. Obama can hardly speak to Iran from a position of strength.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 7:44AM
First of all? Lose that Photo. You look like you could be Jeff Lord's kid, with that "I think I might've pooped in my pants when I farted" look on your face.
As for Hagel? He doesn't like Jews. He's a Jack in Wi Republican. A Jimmy Carter Republican. A Republican like that POS Jack Moran, who's kid was caught on Tape, explaining to an Undercover Reporter how to commit Voter Fraud. They all Hate Jews.
Chuck Hagel is part of the Arlen Spectre Wing of the Republican Party. He's like Charlie Crist, Tub a Lard Christie, and that POS Ray Lahood. They will Whore out their Wife and Daughter to get one of those Cushy Jobs where they can boss people around and don't have to actually DO anything for all of that Money, and all of those Perks. See how Bill Clinton whores himself out to a guy who "20 years ago, he'da beeen gettin us Coffee".
He's a Quissling, who agrees with his new Master that you CAN make a Deal with the Devil. Their CAN be Peace in our time. War CAN be avoided if one just sits down with his Couterpart, and signs a Piece of Paper. Like Chamberlain, and Hitler. Like Stalin, and Hitler. Like Iran, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Like North and South Vietnam. And, like North Korea, and everything they ever put their signature on.
And, why wouldn't he? He just made a Deal with this Devil, in the same way Judas made his deal.
"Men shall know you by the Company you keep."
Indeed.
Stormy| 1.14.13 @ 10:02AM
Clinton is not "whoring himself out" to Obama. It is to whomsoever handles Obama. there is no way that Obama could be running all of these programs from the White House with perhaps only the aid of Valerie Jarrett. Actually, Jarrett's job is to keep Obama in line. These programs are being developed, implemented, and coordinated by a larger group. Clinton works for that group, not Obama.
Pecos Pete| 1.14.13 @ 10:50AM
Stormy: Good point. Agreed.
SUBVET| 1.14.13 @ 10:52AM
Stormy............BINGO !
Occam's Tool| 1.14.13 @ 2:05PM
Jack: The Packers suck as hard as your views on Jews do. Hagel is a boy toy for the Iranian Jihadists. Simple as that.
Both of you subscribe to the Foreign Policy school of Madame Mambo's House of Divine Inspiration through Jihadist Felayteeoh. As does Obama, Brennan, and Lurch.
Oh, and The 49ers fudge-PACKED Green Bay.
c. j. acworth| 1.14.13 @ 7:47AM
I do not understand why anyone thinks we still need to be in Afganistan. We threw out the Taliban, (eventually) got Bin Laden, what is left to do? Turn that dump into a Jeffersonian Democracy? Frankly, I don't care if they vote the Taliban back in. Let 'em concentrate themselves in one place, it'll be that much easier to smoke 'em all the next time they pull something.
Al Adab| 1.14.13 @ 8:36AM
As you say C J it is the concept of nation building which has caused the trouble. Defeating the enemy is one thing, creating countries in our own image is something else again and quite ill advised. A deeper problem is having our defense policy in the hands of those who have built their political career by opposing everything military.
Von Mises Jr| 1.14.13 @ 10:03AM
The problem with this analysis is that Ronald Reagan defeated the Soviet "Evil Empire" with capitalism, not the military. Granted he built up the military that bankrupted the USSR, but it was our roaring economy that allowed us to win and forced them to lose.
Today, Russia has personal flat tax rate of 13%, 9% on dividends and 20% Corporate rate that 2% goes to Federal and 18% to Regional government.
By contrast, our effective rate for high earners is about 22%; it is 20% on Dividends and 35% on small business. Of course GE and GM do not pay Corporate Taxes, and while Buffet is supposed to, he owes $1B in back taxes. That is how fascism works.
Today, we have Russia mirroring Reagan while Barry mirrors Stalin. Everything is upside down and on its head.
nathan| 1.14.13 @ 12:42PM
Sigh: Compare Carter's DOD outyear budget (fifth year if you will, what would have been RR's first year) to what RR proposed. RR wasn't that much larger than Brown's. The notion that RR took a depleted military, doubled tripled quadupled it over his predecessor isn't supported by the numbers. Makes a nice bedtime story but isn't really true. RR did more incremental changes than anything else. If you look back at those times the Soviets were already spending themselves into the ground before RR was elected. The problem was the intelligence was horrible and we had not idea what the true state of affairs was. The estimates were off by factors of two/three or more.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 1:26PM
Yeah.
We went from a 300 Ship Navy, to a 600 Ship Navy.
But that's not supported by the Numbers.
I'm thinking that it is.
Pecos Pete| 1.14.13 @ 1:43PM
In the interest of accuracy:
Total active warships in the U.S. Navy as of 9/30/2011: 285
Total active warships in the U.S. Navy as of 9/30/1989: 592
Total active warships in the U.S. Navy as of 9/30/1981: 521
Note that King O is presiding over a greatly reduced U.S. Navy. That should be good news for The Village Idiots.
Von Mises Jr| 1.14.13 @ 3:37PM
TLP and Pecos Pete get a time out. You know that it is a "F" for failure for reading trolls content?
There is nothing there to see so don't waste your time!
CJW| 1.14.13 @ 5:01PM
Von
This focus on Hagel is a waste of time. Obama won the election, and elections have consequences, in this case bad consequences.
Obama sets the foreign policy, not Hagel or Jean Kerry.
It does not matter who he appoints because they will follow the policy set by Obama.
We knew before the election that Obama has given up on the Iraq and Aghan wars, he will appease Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Russia.
Obama will cut defense spending. He is using Hagel, as a Republican war hero, to give him cover on the defense cuts.
The criticism of Hagel distracts from criticizing Obama.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 6:23PM
Agreed.
Pecos Pete| 1.14.13 @ 7:05PM
King O is the disaster. Agreed. But, it is fun to twiddle de dee with the Village Idiots on a cold winter day.
Von Mises Jr| 1.14.13 @ 8:26PM
It is much more than the Hagel diversion. Talk of an Executive Order for gun control is a charade to take the light off of increased taxes on the Middle Class and a debt ceiling debate that illustrates that we are going broke in the fast lane. An EO banning guns could cause a constitutional crisis.
We should not only be talking about the disaster of an economy, but also Decrees that turn this great nation into a banana republic or worse.
Anthony| 1.14.13 @ 3:11PM
c.j. Certainly no need to have our troops remain there a day longer, especially under this president.
Our troops are in mortal danger under an Obozo administration that despises them and insures that their rules of engagment endanger them each and every day.
One ambassador, who was an Obozo lacky, died in Benghazi because of the folly of his misguided belief in Obozo.
Fortunately, our troops do not share the deceased Ambassador's blindness towards Obozo, yet they are at risk under this feckless, gutless and anti-American president.
Bring them home NOW!!
nathan| 1.14.13 @ 7:57AM
This ought to be interesting.
We all know right Reagan went to Iceland prepared with an offer to more or less go to zero nukes? "Conservatives" tend to forget that little part of history about him. It didn't happen but not through lack of interest on his part.
Angola, the contras, and Afghanistan. Savimbi was ghastly, people in areas under his rule suffered horribly, he was far worse than the "communist" government that Reagan was trying to overthrow. Another example yet again of neocon imperialism have to go get the borg communists at their worst. What threat did the Angolan communists pose to the people in Columbus OH? NONE
The contras. Congress told Reagan to back off. Again, did the communists there pose any real threat to the people in Tampa FL? NO. Reagan deliberately broke the law (or his associates did) and ended up dealing with who? the Iranians or other bad guys. He was probably impeachable and should have been. Again if a democrat president ignores the law, ignores his oath like this for social welfare programs, "conservatives" would be calling for impeachment. Same principle applies. Sorry.
Afghanistan? The best of the three but the impact on the Soviets may well be overstated. They were collapsing internally anyway.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 8:59AM
You're almost too Stupid to respond to.
"Did the Communists ever pose a real threat to the people in Tampa FL? No."
Were the Communists in Angola a threat to the people in Ohio?
Was Cuba ever a threat to America? I mean, BEFORE the U2's exposed the Missile Launchers. nathan would have us believe that it wasn't.
Did the Muslims in Afghanistan ever pose a real threat to the people in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, or the people on Flight 93? No. Yet they still Murdered 3,000 of our people in 2001, didn't they?
Is Iran a threat, nathan? Pakistan? Syria?
Who is a threat? Are there ANY threats out there?
Guys like nathan, here, have always been among us. Hitler wasn't a threat. He was that"Little Corporal". That "Little Paper Hanger". And, besides, that was Europe's War.
nathan would have us do nothing, until the Barbarians were Inside the Gates. Until all of our Allies were picked off, one at a time. Until we were the last of the Free World, standing.
The Spartans fought with the Athenians, even though they HATED them, because they recognized that, if they didn't, the spread of Xerxi's Persian Empire would, eventually, consume them, and their way of life. So they stood and fought.
And, when they finally came for me? There was no-one left to........
Idiot.
Von Mises Jr| 1.14.13 @ 9:54AM
I'm betting Perp is logged in as "nathan" this morning? What do you think TLP?
Two people could not be so stupid in one place at one time. It defies probability.
Pecos Pete| 1.14.13 @ 10:01AM
And Arnie, where is Arnie?
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 3:40PM
I got rid of Arnie, and TPL, and Anna K from Emmory U, and that Trish Chick.
You're Welcome.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 10:28AM
I don't know. He's so stupid, he's practically Rain Man. I wouldn't put it past him to be able to Control the Quantum Fluxuations of Spacetime at the Subatomic Level, to allow himself to be more than one idiot at a time.
He doesn't even know that he's Not a Girl, but that just leads me to believe that - Maybe he's Rain Man - all the more.
Von Mises Jr| 1.14.13 @ 10:50AM
If our troll does not think he is a girl, why does he wear a dress outside the Lincoln Tunnel at night?
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 1:29PM
Because he needs the money.
Occam's Tool| 1.14.13 @ 2:07PM
That's good, Tim, that's good.
This is a guy who justifies Fire bombing Tokyo, but waterboarding subhuman scum bothers him. Now, I believe both were justified, but he can't see his own inconsistencies.
nathan| 1.14.13 @ 12:53PM
TLP you know perfectly well that the Cuban missile crisis was provoked by putting missiles in Turkey. Nikita didn't like it any more than we liked missiles on our doorstep. Tell the class how it was resolved. A deal was cut that after the Cuban missiles were removed six months/a year whatever later the Turkish missiles would be removed too. Missile subs make this a s0mewhat a moot point anyway?
If the Austrian PM had stood HIS ground and not rolled over and played dead, said "meet you at the border with MY army" then what? Instead he plays nice doggy doggy and then suicides out. Real noble of him. Same thing with Benes. Again too many people didn't play Florida "stand your ground" with Adolph. Was he a threat, sure. But there were a lot of people besides Chamberlain had a chance to stop him and didn't.
I've said this before, and you all need to read what I actually write, not what you think I write, no I don't intend to go quietly to the Umschlagplatz. I'm with TJ regarding ALL of the Declaration, Madison regarding individual rights. I don't compromise on ANY of it. Somehow around here that makes me a liberal. It's like quoting King these days makes you a racist. Go figure.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 1:35PM
The question was: Were they a threat? Is Iran a Threat? Was the spread of Communism in Africa, and Central America, and South America a Threat?
You don't wait til it's too late.
I read your stuff, and I've concluded that you wanna what around til we get Hit, again.
That's what makes you Stupid.
Arnie| 1.14.13 @ 1:39PM
You are obviously a dumbass Neo-Con.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 3:42PM
I am not a Jew.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
But you are, definately, an Ass.
Occam's Tool| 1.14.13 @ 2:10PM
nathan:
don't compromise. Great. The trouble is, this is EARTH. I don't know what planet you are on.
Things tend to get tossed when you go to war. Sometimes, dear boy, the choice is between bad and worse.
Arnie| 1.14.13 @ 1:37PM
TLP, you are seriously, brilliantly idiotic. You obviously think the world is a John Wayne or Mel Gibson film.
It's alright, because I'm sure you'll choke on the fat of your fat wife, or on the cock of your boss trying to get the big raise.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 3:47PM
Mr. N. B.
Is it now all right to say C*CK on this site?
Apparently.
And, my Wife is a Smoking Hot Asian Babe, and I can't wait til Saturday Night, when I'll pop that Viagra Tablet, and have FOUR HOURS of something that you can only Dream about with your same sex partner.
It Sucks to be you.
But, you already know that, don't you?
Of course you do.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 3:50PM
And, I work for myself, and I can't reach my Fat C*ck.
But, it's nice to know that you're concerned.
Now, go shove something up your Boyfriend, for me.
And, you might wanna go get Tested.
I'm just sayin.
Arnie| 1.14.13 @ 4:15PM
You heard it here people. TLP admits he needs Viagra. What a limp dick.
Arnie| 1.14.13 @ 4:17PM
The fact he's got a limp dick explains a lot. Compensating TLP?
If only there was a pill to get TLP's brain working.
Mike W| 1.14.13 @ 8:42AM
Hagel has actually fought in combat, unlike many of the candy assed bloggers here and the candy assed keyboard hero posters. He deserves to be Sec Def and he will be approved.
His one sin - not being properly submissive to Israel.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 9:13AM
Morning, Jack.
Hagel doesn't DESERVE to be anything.
Ted Kennedy DESERVED to spend 20 years in a Federal Prison. Bill Clinton DESERVED to be thrown out of Office for Lying to a Federal Grand Jury in a Case involving him with Exposing his Genitals. He DESERVED to have been Shunned, after Juanita Brodrick told the world, on 60 Minutes, that he had RAPED HER. She accused him of RAPE, on National Television, and he never Sued her. Gee. I wonder why. Obviously she DESERVED to be Sued.
Stick with what you know, Jack@ss.
Al Sharpton and Charlie Rangel DESERVE to be in Prison for Tax Evasion.
Joe Biden DESERVES to be looked at by Psychiatrists.
And, We The People DESERVE to see what this piece a Garbage is HIDING in that Vault, in Hawaii.
Now, shut your stupid pie hole, and go back to your Dog, that photo of your Sister, and that jar of Peanutbutter.
Ronsch| 1.14.13 @ 12:32PM
Ah, another troll...According to Wiki, Chuckie served as an E5 (Sergeant)in Vietnam...granted he earned a couple of Purple hearts, so he showed bravery back when he was a kid, but potentially 2 years in "combat" does not a SecDef make you freaking chucklehead...just because you can run a squad (possibly but not likely a platoon) does not mean you are in any way capable of running and entire military complex...Oh, yes, we are all "candy ass bloggers, huh? just how long and where did you serve your combat tours, sport? COD?
Sounds like Jack in Wi has a new alias....Mike W hates Jews too...LOL
nathan| 1.14.13 @ 12:59PM
Oh so Romney "roughing it" in Paris (don't you love those pictures of him sunning himself on the beach on the Med) qualified Mitt to be commander in chief? Or take, yeah let's torture them Dick Cheney. Took him what six years to get HIS degree? (His response, just took me longer that was all. Y'all don't think trying to avoid service like Bill Clinton had anything to do with it?) At least Hagel showed for the war we had business being involved in in the first place unlike all those republicans who haven't seen a war they didn't like yet.
Arnie| 1.14.13 @ 1:31PM
Seriously.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 1:41PM
He served.
Big deal. So did I.
Benedict Arnold was our Greatest General, until he went over to the other side.
John Kerry served, and then he went out of his way to TRASH our Men and Women in Uniform, for Political Gain.
Jane Fonda was beloved, until she sat on that Viet Cong Anti-Aircraft Gun.
What's your point?
Occam's Tool| 1.14.13 @ 2:12PM
And fellating Iranian Mullahs. Don't forget that, Mike W. Senator Hagel's House of Divine Inspiration Through Iranian Felayteeoh.
Occam's Tool| 1.14.13 @ 2:13PM
And your one sin is being a Jihadist catamite, Mike W.
Pecos Pete| 1.14.13 @ 10:07AM
If not Hagel, who? We all know that King O is a Marxist and is actively working to tear down the USA be any means necessary.
While I would not vote for Hagel, it is really King O that is the viper in the nest. If Hagel is not confirmed, King O might very well nominate Hilda Solis or Lisa Jackson. They are both available and have been previously confirmed to significant Cabinet Secretaryships. Could they be worse?
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 1:42PM
No difference.
fmm| 1.14.13 @ 10:40AM
The brilliance of our military in the past has been its ability to respond as needed to critical issues, even though it was underfunded (including at the start of WW2) most of the time. It needs to be maintained at a level which allows such rapid response to continue in cases of direct national interest. This can easily be done at current or somewhat lower funding levels if we were smart enough to let others take care of their own problems. Maintaining forces throughout Europe after the Cold War is assinine as they are now their own worst enemies. A strong commitment to backing the weakest link to prevent wide spread aggression, as in Israel, is the most important foreign policy we could have at the moment.
Pecos Pete| 1.14.13 @ 10:53AM
fmm: And, a supply of nuclear weapons with accurate delivery systems along with the will to use them.
Arnie| 1.14.13 @ 12:59PM
I hope Hagel is good, but I have my doubts. I'm glad he's not a Neo-Con. I just hope, he's able to recommend huge cuts to the money pit/black hole that is the Pentagon.
The military budget has been out of control for decades, and hardly justifiable since the end of the Cold War. Maybe Hagel can bring some common sense, but his ideas would still have to prevail over a Congress totally indepted to its military industry bribers.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 3:54PM
"I'm glad he's not a JEW".
I just hope he GUTS our Military, because I'm Gay, and I don't wanna have to go into the Military.
What a Puke.
Arnie| 1.14.13 @ 4:44PM
TLP a.k.a. "The Limp Penis"- Imperilistic, racist, homophobe, Asian wife buying for sex....idiot.
Arnie| 1.14.13 @ 1:01PM
Oh, and yes, America's Empire needs to be scaled back big time. Close bases and bring troops home from around the world.
Arnie| 1.14.13 @ 1:11PM
And what's funny is that the far left and far right are actually in agreement about the undue influence of the military industry and it's tragic consequences for the long term health of the country (i.e. Ron Paul and Bernie Sanders). Unfortunately most of our political leaders (yes, even Obama) perpetuate this myth that enemies abound and around the world they want to kill Americans for our freedom, liberty, McDees, Barbie etc.. These reasons are so stupid, I won't discuss them further. The media and Hollywood don't help either, portraying a scary world full of evil villians, so many Americans think that "There be dragons.." beyond its borders. We need brave people that are willing to say, "Enough is enough, the USA doesn't need to be on every corner of the world, with over priced weapons."
Occam's Tool| 1.14.13 @ 2:14PM
Arnie: so, you like chaos and the spread of female genital mutilation. OK. Diggit.
Arnie| 1.14.13 @ 2:41PM
No, I don't like that stuff, but I don't think we should be spending 600 billion dollars a year nor bombing countries because of that.
Occam's Tool == another dumbass Neo-Con tool.
**Attention** TLP and Occam are competing to be old man Cheney's boytoy.
sweatyfederalist | 1.14.13 @ 2:59PM
Why bother with the National Review or Weekly Standard when even the Spectator kneels at the neo-con altar?
And if the Hagel nomination gives you restless leg syndrome, please forgive my impertinence when I suggest that you are as much the problem as the Keynesians, statists and other officially-sanctioned burglars that are running our post-Constitutional republic into the ground.
TLP| 1.14.13 @ 3:57PM
"Why bother with the National Review or Weekly Standard when even the Spectator kneels at the JEW alter".
Keep talking.
Dimitry_Aleksandrovich| 1.14.13 @ 3:45PM
John the Middle East is not the Soviet Union and the Cold War has been over for 20 years regardless of what today's anti-Russian hawks in Washington DC would say. Any Middle Eastern nation with halfway modern military hardware usually got it from us or have stockpiles left over from the Soviets from the cold war. There is no united pan-Arab enemy that the United States fights and Sunni Islamists have actually been enjoying our support in Libya (during the conflict to topple Ghaddafi) and in the current civil war that we helped foster in Syria. In fact in the case of Syria...China, Russia, Iran and Hezbollah are in my opinion on the right side of history and are trying to protect Syrian minorities from a Western, Israeli, Turk and Saudi backed Sunni Islamist regime that the "international community" is trying to create there.
In fact according to your definition of "neo-conservative" then Barrack Obama is pretty much Ronald Reagan prefering to fund and train rebels to overthrow governments we consider un-friendly rather than taking the cowboy uber-neocon line of Geoge W. Bush (which is actually in the liberal interventionist tradition of Woodrow Wilson) and using American military might to "make the world safe for democracy". What's wrong with diplomacy. Reagan talked to Gorbachev.
hrgfue | 1.15.13 @ 1:57AM
2013 Happy New Year,NFL,NBA,fashion kickoff for u
CHAUSSURES FEMME AIR MAX LTD | 1.15.13 @ 2:27AM
Chinese nationalism, et al. — the establishment is dangerously wrong and out of touch. And so, if Hagel is the establishment’s standard-bearer — which he is — then it makes perfect sense to oppose his nomination
Marc Jeric| 1.15.13 @ 2:41AM
Obama’s program called Arab Spring was designed to bring jihadist governments to Muslim countries. It has succeeded so far in Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. It is designed to do the same in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Coupled with the existing jihadist governments in Sudan, Turkey, and Iran, the program will be able to eliminate Israel, to exterminate all the Jews there, and thus to produce the final state of peace in the Middle East. Obama will then be ready to accept his second Nobel Peace prize. That is the reason for the Benghazi murder cover-up. Nominating Kerry, Hagel, and Brennan will advance this plan of Israel destruction.
Dimitry_Aleksandrovich| 1.15.13 @ 11:53AM
The Americans didn't start the Arab spring. They were frightened by the Arab spring especially when it toppled the regimes of Mubarak and Ben Ali in Egypt and Tunisia. The decision to embrace the Arab spring was a strategic one. It was only embraced in Egypt when it became clear that they couldn't embrace a brutal repression of the opposition while CNN cameras were rolling in Tahir Square. Does anyone else find it interesting that Muhammed Morsi (the current Muslim Brotherhood President of Egypt) was educated in the United States? Morsi has a P.H.D in material science from USC. Marc you can't forget that neo-cons like Bill Kristol and their allies in Washington like John McCain were completely behind Obama in toppling the Ghaddafi using NATO special forces and Libyan rebels (many Al Qaeda linked) on the ground and NATO air support in the sky. Ghaddafi was a former enemy turned somewhat of a partner after 9/11, but unfortunately for him he was sitting on large oil reserves coveted by Western oil firms. In Syria many American neo-cons are again pushing for regime change even though the toppling of Assad could very well lead to the ethnic cleansing of Syrian Christians, Alawites and other non-Sunni Syrian minorities. Again in Syria we find ourselves backing Al Qaeda linked rebels, but the neo-cons justify this because Assad is an ally of Iran and of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Things aren't as clear cut as they may appear.
Dimitry_Aleksandrovich| 1.15.13 @ 1:35PM
Israel is pushing for regime change (toppling Assad) in Syria as well. My take on it is that Israel thinks it will be better off with a Sunni Islamist government in Syria than with a Baathist (pan-Arab) government allied with Iran and Hezbollah. The Shia (Iranians and Hezbollah) are much more organized and unified than the Sunni Islamists in Syria who may very well begin fighting each other if they overthrow the current Baathist regime. Not long ago the Sunni Wahhabist monarchy of Saudi Arabia quietly gave the okay for Israeli planes to use its airspace to attack Iran. Saudi Arabia fears Iran more than the Israelis do and their fierce competition for influence in the region is highlighted by their proxy war in Syria and sectarian (Shia-Sunni) skirmishes in Iraq. Bahrain is another example as the U.S. and Saudi backed Sunni monarchy there has been cracking down on the Shia majority (who may very well be Iranian backed) who want a bigger role in government there. It won't happen though, the United States has a huge naval fleet in Bahrain.
Dimitry_Aleksandrovich| 1.16.13 @ 12:02PM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2.....latestnews
If Hagel is a lap dog and supports the current US policy of supporting terrorist scum in Syria of the kind that sett off bombs in universities, on major highways and in Christian neighborhoods killing hundreds then Hagel is no different then Panetta or any of the others. I hope he bucks the status quo, but I doubt Obama would put him in a position to buck the status quo. Regime change in Syria is what we want even if it means the ethnic cleansing of Syrian Christians, Alawites, Druze, Kurds and yes even Jews. That's fine as long as our democratic loving forces (of the kind that set off bombs in universities) are victorious with our arms, funding and training. I read this article this morning about the bombings and it sickened me.