Obama’s Administration of Grand Gestures
In its first week the Obama administration revealed itself to be infatuated with dramatic gestures and sweeping pronouncements: Guantanamo is going to be closed, enhanced interrogation ended, Middle East peace re-established, Iraq to be “left” to the Iraqis, and bipartisanship restored. But the reality is quite different, leaving open the question as to whether President Obama really believes his own rhetoric or is slyly wielding symbolism to conceal the very familiar contours of his not-so-groundbreaking policies.
He announces Guantanamo will close, but not really anytime soon. They haven’t figured out what to do with the detainees and how we are going to conduct the legal proceedings. So due process grinds to a halt and the detainees sit in Guantanamo. The Left swoons with the grand sentiment, but nothing has changed. It is hard to see what will be done with the detainees. Put them in the U.S.? Not if the home state politicians have anything to say. Repatriate them to their own countries where they’d be subject to torture? Not very humane.
One of the savvier Democrats, Rep. Jane Harman declared that it is “shocking and disappointing” that a released Guantanamo prisoner is now heading up al-Qaeda in Yemen. She does know that over sixty of the Guantanamo releasees have appeared back on the battlefield, right? Gosh, this Guantanamo stuff is harder than it looks.
Underneath all the hoopla it is not clear that much if anything will change. Josh Gerstein warns: “There may be less than meets the eye to the executive orders President Obama issued yesterday to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and prohibit the torture of prisoners in American custody. Those pronouncements may sound dramatic and unequivocal, but experts predict that American policy towards detainees could remain for months or even years pretty close to what it was as President Bush left office.”
As Gerstein points out, the same day that Guantanamo was ordered to be “closed” President Obama ordered the end to enhanced interrogation techniques and directed the CIA to abide by the U.S. Army Field Manual, which prohibits even tactics such as sleep deprivation. But once again, in the specifics we find a slightly different reality. The president’s advisers will report back to tell him if perhaps some exceptions might be needed – when it really is important to get critical information from a terrorist. The Wall Street Journal dubbed this the “Jack Bauer exception”:
The unfine print of Mr. Obama’s order is that he’s allowed room for what might be called a Jack Bauer exception. It creates a committee to study whether the Field Manual techniques are too limiting “when employed by departments or agencies outside the military.” The Attorney General, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Director of National Intelligence-designate Dennis Blair will report back and offer “additional or different guidance for other departments or agencies.”
In other words, Mr. Obama’s Inaugural line that “we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals” was itself misrepresenting the choices his predecessor was forced to make. At least President Bush was candid about the practical realities of preventing mass casualties in the U.S.
Meanwhile, President Obama also appointed George Mitchell as Middle East envoy. Ignoring the efforts of the Bush and Clinton administrations to find a legitimate “partner” for Israel to negotiate with, Obama declared a whole new era in Middle East peace efforts — which bore an uncanny resemblance to just about everything his predecessors had done or said on the subject for the last decade.
This is a really useful, excellent post – it was clear these things had been happening all week, but someone needed to put it all together.
Your line -
“This may be the inevitable result of a candidacy premised on the foggy notion of “change” without firm policy underpinnings.”
- gets at the truth exactly, and why this is very scary. It’s pretty clear that Obama voters were really swept up by emotion for the most part, and didn’t bother to look at what this guy stood for or could deliver. The direct consequence is this: “Hey, the American people can be hoodwinked.” The Democrats aren’t even pretending with that spending bill, as you’ve pointed out. And that’s just the beginning.
When things get really scary in a democracy, we have no one to blame but ourselves, but it is near impossible for a people to accept blame for something. My primary worry is that the demonization of the Republican party and conservative ideas will continue indefinitely, not so much amongst the Democrats in charge, but amongst many Americans. Once that happens, even though there will be an opposition, in effect there will be one party rule, the mindset “why can’t we have everything and do nothing and there will be no war and everyone can do what they want whenever and however.”
Let’s see….’24′ is a program that must be oonnn — Fox!…How do we know? Because it has been quoted from all corners of News Corp land. That includes Fox News, the Wall St Journal, Bill O’reilly, etc… Now, back to reality…Jennifer dusts off 44′s Middle East efforts as “uncanny resemblance to” his predecessors..Excuse me but who was sent on that Bush envoy to focus on Israel/Palestinian issue? Oh, I guess the author means Condi Rice??..Now about those terrorists fighting US after GITMO release..I’m sorry but did Obama release them??..Better yet, maybe Ms Rubin would like to refer to today’s WAPO article about Al Quaeda..It seems as though our favorite Jihadists “don’t know how to strategize against Obama”..This video just happens to pop up right after 44 declares GITMO closed (uh, he did say “within a year”- not open-ended)..This is on the heels of Osama’s “audio” and the #2 guy trying out for the Nation of Islam, in his tribute to Malcolm X!…There’s not a “more of the same” agenda here…Jennifer KNOWS this…That’s why we’re suddenly hearing about “60 GITMO detainees” who have gone back to fight for Al Queda.
…”So far”????…Maybe we can give the guy a full week in the Whitehouse before we bury his efforts as “more of the same”??…Obama did more in his first 3 days than 43 accomplished in his first month!…
The almighty “pandering” begins. Only, to whom does he pander to [checks weather] and on which day?
Barack the magic doofus is clueless. Here we go world…give it a whirl…place your bets!
… And maybe pigs’ll fly. I actually expect the changes to be on the home front, as Obama knows he knows squat about foreign affairs. Fact is, (the left will howl) Bush got most of the foreign stuff right. Obama is finding that out, now. I bet during the transition that Obama frequently said, “Oh.” when presented with intel.
I still maintain my fear that a day will come on which MANY awaken, regretting that they EVER heard the name Barack Hussein Obama. Their greatest disappointment will be that THEIR votes… THEIR obama euphoria… and THEIR willful, total lack of critical attention to things unknown about bho, thrust him into the place of a global player for which he is entirely unfit and will handle most probably to the detriment of the USA. Of course I hope against this fear. But thus far, NOTHING about the new president excites any confidence in me that he will be an honorable president among prior Commanders in Chief whom we remember with deeply deserved respect and affection.
Based on the evidencve, my hypothesis is that The One is finding out that this “governing” thing is harder than campaigning. And Ms. pelosi and mr. Reid are now finding out that there are no more excuses. They won, all right- by conducting a campaign that was even dirtier, more dishonest, and cynical than anything they ever accused the Republicans of since the Nixon administration. it got them what they wanted, and the ball is now in their court.
And now, they seem to be wondering what to do with it.
Have fun, kids.
clear ether
eon
“I bet during the transition that Obama frequently said, “Oh.” when presented with intel.”
I believe this might be President Barack Obama’s normal response to new information provided to him during the transition. He is a shallow and poorly read man. We should never forget that he has been elected the leader of the United States primarily because of the color of his skin. A large number of guilt tripped white voters cast their ballot mostly to prove that “I’m not a racist.” He most assuredly was not elected because of the content of his character.
President Obama is now picking a fight with Rush Limbaugh—a man far more knowledgeable than himself. The famous radio talk show host could easily demolish him in a public debate. It would not be a fair fight. It might be similar to Kobe Bryant going one on one against an athletically challenged twelve year old boy. If there is any justice in this world, the newly elected president will soon regret getting in Mr. Limbaugh’s face.
I would point out that Barack Obama claimed that he would be off and running as President on Day One, that he wasn’t lacking in experience or maturity as his critics claimed. The only problem is that he was completely wrong and while he ran a good campaign, he now has to govern. True, an often sychophantic media paved the way for his victory, and will do it’s best to protect Obama’s Presidency from the criticism it must face. But despite Obama’s articulateness, real problems can’t be talked away, the Iranian nuclear threat remains real, the global financial meltdown is still tearing international economies to pieces, and the Obama administration is only now even beginning to study these problems when Obama promised everyone that he had immediate solutions to all these problems and more. I am terribly afraid that this will be the Obama Administration’s approach to everything, send it to a committee and leave it there.
Marc Malone, I agree with yoou on the ‘home front’ changes by the Pres. However, if he screws up the economy long term instead of letting it play itself out, that will affect all of us in every thing we do for a long, long time.
wellll doggie… BHO has only been in office 5 days an already he has bet the house, a trillion dollar give away to the the fat cats. has cried out release the hounds, gitmo to be emptied of all the scum of the earth. the good prince Faisal has pointedly asked for an American policy shift on the Israeli Palestinian issue, in favor of the Palestinians no less, or there will be grave consequences…brrrrrr hidden threats of violence, they just send a chill down my jellied spine…What would Dubya do?
first order of business, stupid people who run their businesses into the ground should not be given another chance to screw things up on my dime. the scum of the earth should remain incognito, a fine facility in Greenland should be built for them, wait we already have one at Gitmo, ok leave them there. The good prince Faisal has shown his true colors, his request for surrender or dhimmitude should be answered in much the same way as the one that came out of Bastogne. remember those guys that fought for us in WW11, they had it right.
Everytime I hear Pelosi’s name my blood pressure rises! How could she stand in front of America and claim that the Senate would be more “Bipartisan” than ever now that the Democrats have the majority? Of course, I didn’t believe a word of it. She rewrote the rules leaving out any chances of debate from the minority(Repub) side of the House. O-Please-Pay-Me Obama, is just a cult of personality, created by the DNC and MSM. I’m only guessing that the reason he’s allowed to keep his Blackberry is so the puppeteers can remain controlling the strings. ONE CHANGE the Commander-In-Disabelief wrought this past week was the lifting of the ban on providing foreign monies to those who would use it for abortions. Now THATS improving our “reputation” across the world!! errrrggg
Bush’s heroism carved very deep channels in foreign policy that Obama could not steer away from if he wanted. Bottom line bush policies work. He was the god given individual for the time he served after 911. We all owe he and god a debt of gratitutde.
When I saw that the one had decided to take on Rush Limbaugh, I nearly choked with laughter. Apparently, he is completely clueless in current events and has absolutely no understanding of what Mr. Limbaugh did to Dufus Reid a year ago when DR tried to have him censured by the Senate. And, for the clueless who may read this, that ill-fated nonsense on Reid’s part ended up bringing over 3 million dollars (courtesy of Rush and a conservative donor) to a foundation which pays college expenses for children of military casualties.
Break out more popcorn. This is going to be fun.
I certainly hope that the “shocked and disappointed” Jane Harman (D)will do all right in her recovery from the newly discovered fact that Al Qaeda doesn’t play nice even when people are really nice to them. Idiots.
“We all owe he and god a debt of gratitutde.”
George W. Bush left much to be desired as a president. His political correctness caused an amazing amount of damage. The former national leader is also an economic illiterate. In many respects, he can be compared to Herbert Hoover who unwittingly opened the door to the financial craziness of the New Deal era. Barack Obama is our present day FDR. And yet, Bush must be congratulated for keeping our nation safe. When everything is said and done, he was right more often than not regarding how best to conduct the war against the Islamic nihilists.
3. Dino. You may be right. In his first month, as I recall, President George W. Bush did not:
1. Authorize the endless deaths of babies in other countries using our money
2. Have his representative publicly make racially taunting comments toward whites
3. Tell all the dhimmicrats to stop listening to liberal media personalities
4. Re-announce that he “had won” in a meeting with dhimmicrats
5. Lecture the press about not asking him questions when he didn’t want to be asked questions by the press
6. Demonstrate complete ignorance in the presence of press at a (lucky for them) “authorized” conversation, by having to ask his attorney what was going on with regard to executive orders
7. Declare that he was ready to expedite the release of known terrorists
8. Argue for the installation of a cabinet member who has publicly authorized the release of a known terrorist
9. Publicly declare and have his representatives declare that someone who evaded taxes deliberately over a period of years should not have that held against them in their goal to wield power over the rest of us poor schmucks who keep paying our taxes on time because we think that we really HAVE to
I believe you are right, Dino. President George W. Bush didn’t do NEAR this much in his first 30 days.
When BO campaigned on “Change” I believe that he was dead serious about it. He is serious about scrapping the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, Constitutional Amendments and anything else set up by the Founding Fathers for the governence of this nation. That doesn’t have to be done the first week. This man is barely an American–communists for parents, raised by socialist grandparents in Hawaii and in Indonesia by a Moslem/socialist step-father–he has no affinity for the United States of America and, I do believe, sees it as the cause and reason for all the worlds ills and really hates it. And now he is our President. God help us.
There is much talk now about all Americans (code for Republicans) “supporting” the new President.
I have many problems with this. I fear Obama because of his radical history and his odious associations. Obama made choices in his life, choices like a 20-year-long intimate relationship with a conspiracy-mongering HAMAS-supporting lunatic Pastor in a racist church, choices like the terrorist William Ayers as a friend and associate in various projects aimed at radicalizing the youth of south Chicago, like anti-Semite PLO hack Rashid Khalidi, Michael Pfleger, Khalid al-Mansour, Ali Abounima, Tony Rezko, etc.
Any other candidate who made these same choices would have been disqualified before he or she even started a campaign. A FAIR media would have shredded Obama in 5 minutes.
And that’s the ONLY history we have about Obama; Obama has no friends, no family, and nobody to say they knew him from college. Subtract the charisma and the magic. What has he done? What do you know about him? Where does he come from? Was he sent here from the heavens?
The Messiah!
No, not the Messiah. Just a pretty package produced and sold by an adoring liberal media to an uninformed (unintelligent) electorate who voted for President like it was American Idol. Perhaps only Clay Aiken or Sanjaya could have beat Obama. But no, not a chance. Neither of them is black.
Already this know-nothing empty suit has started to dismantle the systems that have kept us safe in America since 9/11 and he has urged Israel to reopen border crossings to Israel from Gaza.
Is he crazy or just a delusional liberal? Then again, what’s the difference between crazy and a delusional liberal?
And I should support Barack Hussein Obama?
1455 days to go.
Excellent article.
In a sense, this is a good thing, as it exposes both Obama and his minions as the hypocrites they are.
Obama wasn’t elected to impose totalitarian socialism on this country, but that certainly is what Democrats believe.
Nice article.
If Obama had been a Republican following a Democrat the MSM would be howling at how dumb the Guantanamo closing is and that the rescue package is just a recycling of old ideas.
Want peace in the middle east? Get all nations to blockade everything going to Gaza, food, fuel, electricity, and water until they put in writing they want peace in the middle east. Not a complicated problem. Chances of that happening: Zero.
There is one thing I do enjoy about the Obama presidency. Since the press has their man in the office they aren’t throwing grenades at him and I don’t miss that even though I did not vote for Obama. The lack of respect accorded the office and Bush was appalling.
Obama has already violated his new rule on ethics/lobbyist reform.
Does he think the republicans can’t read?
The bucks stops here. It’s important to point out how President Obama is doing everything he can by reversing or rescinding policies to show the critics he’s not a continuation of the Bush policies. At the pace President Obama is moving he’s bound to trip over some of his reversals. Not everything Bush did was wrong. The protection of the country was priority one. If the country goes down, so does the economy and nothings more important then then. The economy is taking a hit, but nothing like the terrorist wanted to happen as a result of 9/11. The policies, Gitmo, the detention and interrogation methods that were in place were needed, because of the danger that existed. Now that it seems that the danger we faced then no longer exist, doesn’t mean they were the wrong policies of Bush. To reverse Bush’s policies, only to be replace with President Obama’s policies which in reality are only different in titles is misleading the people in thinking everything Bush did was wrong and it’s up to President Obama to make things right again, by doing nothing but reversing everything Bush did. If all President Obama wants to do is please the critics of Bush, then he’s already turned his Presidency over to the critics.
If “change” means changing us back to getting our rear ends kicked by terrorists, Obama is off to a good start. Thank you, President Bush, for keeping us safe after 9/11, after the previous administration had gutted our intelligence capabilities, you set things right in record time. You kept us safe, and no one, not even any of the looney left nay-sayers can dispute that. And if it meant locking up terrorists in Gitmo, so be it. I think they should stay there. If Obama’s policies put us in danger again, it will be “who let the dogs out?” all over again.
These are the times that try men’s souls!
He has drifted to the center since he was sworn in so don’t get too excited about current events just yet. Nancy and Harry are setting themselves up for a hard fall when things really go bad.
My biggest fear is when it comes time to appoint new members to the Supreme Court. The Left spent a lot of money to influence those selections and they won’t let him off the hook with anything less than card carrying ACLU members.. There’s no fixing that in the short term..
Be prepared, this is not going to end well. The poseur/boy-king is not capable of doing anything to fix anything. This doofus will fail and quickly will be the retribution from his cultist followers. I expect Martial Law to be attempted within 6 months whenother fixes fail!
“…and while he ran a good campaign…”
1) Obama didn’t run anything. There is a reason why all his initial appointees looked like Clinton retreads… Obama’s campaign for President was run by people who were pumped on the idea of a black President with a D after their name, just like the folks back in Chicago who “made themselves a US Senator”.
2) Hell, my dog could have been elected with the media infatuation Obama enjoyed. He never put a foot wrong… because he never had to take a step. He never said anything stupid because he never had to say anything, and when he still managed to say that there were 57 states, it got buried under a landslide of manure about how the opposition VP said silly things – that were actually said by a comedienne on TV.
Obama has never run or done anything… including his campaign.
Dino says: “Obama did more in his first 3 days than 43 accomplished in his first month!…”
What has he done? Well…
1)Nominated many Clintonians who were in their prime in the 90s.
2)Nominated a tax cheat to oversee the IRS.
3)Nominated a Sec. of State who does not have the qualifications to be hired as a low-level professional at State.
4)Prohibited torture unless he feels it is needed in some circumstances.
5)Closed Gitmo in about a year, details at 10:00.
6)Ended the Iraq war [see 6) for time line].
7)Proposed the most massive earmark spending bill in history, picking and choosing who will be the Peters to pay Pauls, and calls it an economic stimulus package.
8)Acted as if the WH press digs were an unfit place for the media to ask questions.
Let’s hope things will get better when he moves with less haste.
I now see that my comment is similar to Ann141′s. In any case, for what it is worth…
She does know that over sixty of the Guantanamo releasees have appeared back on the battlefield, right? Gosh, this Guantanamo stuff is harder than it looks.
You mean like these guys ?
(I guess raising the right index finger when giving lectures is a terrorist thing)
Jane Harman & Dianne Feinstein appear to have their heads screwed on better than many of their fellow Congresscritters.
Comrade Dino above had better strap in; I fear he is in for weekly reports like this from here on out.
How’s it feel, Dino?
..no, wait, why don’t you get back to me in..say..about a year after President Training Pants and Pelosi and Reid have drifted rudderless in the sea of governance. Tell me how you will like the increasingly shrill criticism from the American public and from a media starved for stories with substance versus posturing and preening.
I can see the response now, “..Obama has only been in office 365 days and accomplished much more than Bush ever did..”
Yeah, right! In a pig’s valise.
The Saul Alinsky disciple in the Oval Office is a Clear and Present Danger to the USA and our Constitution. I don’t want someone to murder him, but if he died of natural causes tomorrow I would celebrate.
Those who were hoping for more might begin to fret. Those who feared much more might breathe a sigh of relief.
I’m in neither category.
I’m in the group that says…geez, signing (bobbleheaded) executive orders to appear to be effecting “change” (i.e., throwing carrots to the Guantanamo hand wringers and the feminists (funding overseas clinics) is a substitute for governing ?
The 800 pound gorilla in the room remains the economy. I asked my high school seniors for a best plan and listed the possible options on the board. After considerable discussion they opted for fiscal austerity to pay down the debt and tax cuts to stimulate growth. I then asked them how the new president would pay his political debts while simultaneously reducing government expenditure. All they could offer was a two word response common to the vernacular.
The United States is marching down the road to Peronist style populism complete with a cult of personality. How smart or well educated is our new president? Not even equal to high school students who at least understand that a nation cannot borrow its way to prosperity. The stimulus package is no such thing. It’s nothing more than a payoff. We have finally made the transition from a republic to oligarchy. Our new governing class is composed of our political elites and backed by those wealthy enough to purchase access to power. It’s not even socialism. It’s the same sort of kleptocratic oligarchy that has kept South America in the mire for generations. We are headed the same direction; make no mistake about it.
A presidential term is roughly 200 weeks, give or take a vacation.
Let’s hope-and-change that BHO spends the other 199 weeks in Camp David , Hawaii beaches or some undisclosed location until Guantanamo bay is fully converted into a super-duper presidential retreat, which has been under way for a while already.
#26 Sherlock:
I think soon we will have preferred your dog.
http://blog.progressivedem.com/2008/02/07/us-citizens-under-surveilence-by-infraguard.aspx
#32paules…check out Infra Guard….a elite group of business/utility managers and our US Gov. See what THEY can do, and YOU and I CANT if Marshall Law/state of emergency is in force. Wake up people….
I don’t care if Pelosi and Obama said “We Won” they are there to serve the people and they and the rest of Congress have it bass ackwards. I have my own grand gesture and it is not using my thumbs and pointing them up.
Go ahead and close Gitmo these creatures who would have been prisoners will face a worse fate on the battlefield, they will be killed there can go have their 72 virgins and never see the light of day in a US court.
#30 Gary I understand how you feel but look who is in succession it is no better Biden, Pelosi, Reed, Hillary is #5. They all have the same wrong philosophy it doesn’t matter who is the POTUS. We have to fight to elect people who serve in our best interests not theirs.
If there is another terrorist attack G-D forbid on American soil Bush will be vindicated and the Democrats will be toast.
Rangle and Murtha, who got Pelosi the job as House Speaker over Steny Hoyer, now being protected by Pelosi. Both should be stepping down until investigations are over. This is not the change I hoped for. Every time the Dems mention their “ethics” I cringe, they have none.
What a bunch of dopes
it’s as if people never read of the Trojan horse.
“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
— George Santayana (1863–1952)
(& later quoted by Churchill)
David Thompson:
He is a shallow and poorly read man. We should never forget that he has been elected the leader of the United States primarily because of the color of his skin. A large number of guilt tripped white voters cast their ballot mostly to prove that “I’m not a racist.”
I believe that it’s more shallow and self-absorbed than that for some. I think the reason that many people voted for him is that they wanted to be “a part of history,” (look at all the cheap dime-store memorabila that’s being peddled) and the reason that the press promoted him was that they wanted to say that they wrote about that history.
26.Sherlock IS your dog still available? Who knows~!
27 Fred Beloit I liked your succinct lines… Let’s all jump in…the water’s fine!
These yahoos are going to get the same respect for bambi that they gave President Bush, and whether they like it or not, we are are going to have a whole lot more raw material to deal with.
Obama Hitler continues to order the deaths of civilians, does nothing to stop the Israeli genocide on the Palestinians, and will not stop the blood for oil war. Obama lied people died.
“The former national leader is also an economic illiterate. In many respects, he can be compared to Herbert Hoover who unwittingly opened the door to the financial craziness of the New Deal era. Barack Obama is our present day FDR.”
Well if we want to go back to the Great Depression and its roots we cannot lay the blame on Hoover. Herbert Hoover before the Depression was the man that created rationing and caused a great amount of support for the troops. However, if we’re looking for the President that did the most to cause the Depression it was Coolidge. Calvin Coolidge has been quoted as saying that he, “avoided the big issues.” FDR came into the office with a clear set of ideas in mind that didn’t get changed and were implemented immediately in order to help the economy at the time. Did they work? Thats debatable. The only clear thing that pulled us from the Depression was WW2, not the TVA, CCC, and a slew of other acronyms. A number of his policies have outlived their usefulness like the TVA but its still there draining Federal funding and taxpayer’s wallets. Obama on the other hand has not implemented his campaign slogans to any real degree and while a great deal of legislature might get passed I doubt that it will have the same effect that FDR’s did, even to the extent where FDR’s were merely putting Americans back to work.
I hope Obama continues to fail. Even if it gets so bad that Biden has to assume the position. That would show the country what a total group of losers these bums are. And those dummy’s elected that bunch.
It will end in tears:
Great editorial by Brit Gerald Warner:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/gerald_warner/blog/2009/01/20/barack_obama_inauguration_this_emperor_has_no_clothes_it_will_all_end_in_tears
This will end in tears. The Obama hysteria is not merely embarrassing to witness, it is itself contributory to the scale of the disaster that is coming. What we are experiencing, in the deepening days of a global depression, is the desperate suspension of disbelief by people of intelligence – la trahison des clercs – in a pathetic effort to hypnotise themselves into the delusion that it will be all right on the night. It will not be all right…………………………..
Harry Truman yes the Trojan Horse is the Democrats sneaking all their pork into the stimulus package. This will stimulate no one except Democraic Congress scum hey how much is in there for Acorn?
#36 thegr8 1 – Um, the succession is President of the Senate Biden, Speaker of the House Pelosi, then Secretary of Defense Gates. Reid doesn’t figure into it, as the VP is actually Pres of the Senate… something Palin got right, btw.
That was a change made, because it was figured that if all three heads of our exec and legislative branches were out, it would probably be because our government was under attack by foreign powers, so it would make sense to put our military guy in charge.
Someone correct me if I got this wrong.
Go to American Thinker or Hotair. And read the list of who Fitzgerald subpeoned yesterday in the Blago fiasco. Like a who’s who in the Obama camp. Of course haven’t seen or heard it on our Pravda newscasts.
INCLUDING THAT INTERROGATION IS NOT TORTURE
Torture typically involves physical pain and long term if not pernament injury. Using psychological interrogation techniques sometimes resembles what goes on within families!
http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2009/01/interrogating-enemy-combatants.html
Tell me how you will like the increasingly shrill criticism from the American public and from a media starved for stories with substance versus posturing and preening.
Well, I agree with the rest of your post, but I quibble with that statement. The media will not be “starved for stories with substance” – they’ve shown over the past year that they’re quite comfortable with posturing and preening. I predict that even if Obama screws up one thing after another, they’ll focus on the cute kids and Michelle’s wardrobe and how buff The One looks in swim trucks rather than draw attention to his failures. They have too much invested in his success – they’ll cover for him as much as they can. They’ll truly be “Obama’s servants.”
Ann141 #14
I’m with you. They bought it, they own it – as they keep reminding everyone with ‘we won’ with every breath. Fine, they’re gonna wear it too. Bring out the popcorn indeed.
It gladdens my heart to read defensive comments such a Dino 2&3. What? Already nervious? Rant away bubba, the more you Obots screech, the more fun it is.
Settle in & get comfortable, the trailers say Rush vs The One is next to be shown. Ann, please pass the munchies.
“What a bunch of dopes”
You’re right, Robert. Obama and his cronies ARE a bunch of dopes.
Here’s the deal with Obama. There’s an escape clause in everything he says.
A couple of examples.
During the campaign, Barack set a date certain to get U.S. forces out of Iraq. One of many escape clauses in that statement was mentioned only two weeks ago when a reporter asked Obama about his earlier Iraq-withdrawl statements. Obama clarified the previous statement saying the earlier comments were referring to “combat troops.”
Then there’s Gitmo.
Closing Gitmo doesn’t really mean closing Gitmo. It means on some date not certain, the usual and customery operations of Gitmo will be operationally reduced.
In case anybody is listening with a fine tuned ear, this administration is based on a foundation not of concrete ideas that turn into decisive action, but well-chosen words that turn into thin air.
I’m waiting for some aspiring reporter to ask Barack what he meant when Barack said he found the “Suburbs boring.” I’m sure Barack will have an escape clause for something as seemingly meaningless as that.
Who then is the Barack Obama?
Barack is Winston Churchill, without the Sword and Juno; with no victorious battle of Britain. Barack is Hitler with no September 1, 1939. Barack is George Washington with no crossing of the Delaware. He’s Davey Crockett with no valiant defense of the Alamo. He’s Joe Namath without the arm. Tiger Woods without the swing.
Barack is a hybrid wordsmith and verbal bully who can’t believe so many people fail to realize that his “let me make this clear” rhetoric is simply that; rhetoric. He’s a paper tiger posessing an uncanny ability to deliver the kind of beautifully crafted, highly persuasive speeches that has an army of psychofants including the mainstream media jumping up and down with glee like schoolgirls with front row seats on August 15, 1965 at Shea Stadium.
B. Obaman has the charisma of a Beatle and the ego of Donald Trump. He is like a good actor who landed the role of President of the United States. But when his closest advisors talk about him on the golf course, it becomes very clear that they, too, realize Barack is just playing a part. He’s a great magician’s illusion.
However, the ability to pull the wool over 54% of the voting public’s eyes does not a President make.
For someday the rubber will meet the road. Things will get sandpaper tough. When decisive action and nothing less is needed, the house of cards that is Barack Obama will fold like one. The facade that is Barack Obama will fall like a blind roofer.
One day, my friends, when action is needed, when mere words no longer suffice, and Barack is frozen with fear like a deer in the headlights, he’ll sit on his stool in his frightened corner of the world, like a February 25, 1964, Ali-beaten Sonny Liston complaining an aching backbone is the reason he can’t get up.
That’s when the lemming-like rats aboard the USS Obama will start jumping ship, and the hapless, spineless Barack will busy himself rearranging the proverbial deck chairs on the Titanic. And, like you can’t find a grown up hippie these days who’ll admit to spitting on a GI in an airport who just got home from the Vietnam war, in time no one will admit to being mesmerized by the Obama spell. The psychofants will crawl into their Hollywood, New York, metropolitan holes, never to be heard from again.
Ladies and gentlemen, Barack Obama lives in a world where words always speak louder than actions. The problem with that belief is that sometimes tyrants and terrorists are often deaf when it comes to words; only understand something as compelling as the tip of a bayonet.
If great speeches could win the war on terrorism, America would be home free. Unfortunately, it ain’t a gonna happen. Mister Obama, along with all you miserable psychofants, welcome to the real world.
Wow, so there are people who take that drug-addled pustulent gasbag Limpboy seriously? That could rank as being even more stupid than bible-thumping fundie trash.
Robert Hurley said, “What a bunch of dopes”. Did that make you feel good to get that off your chest, Robert? Okay, now for my comment.
You make me sick!
See, I made my important contribution to this dialog with only four words. Top that, Hurley.
Von Bear writes:
“Obama Hitler continues to order the deaths of civilians, does nothing to stop the Israeli genocide on the Palestinians, and will not stop the blood for oil war. Obama lied people died.”
I love it! You linstening, Dino? You got 207 more weeks of this to go!.
Liberalism – the triumph of emotion over reason.
Donna,
You may be right. Respectfully, I pray you are not.
However, I do believe bread and circuses can only go so far. The American public will get sick and tired of the fawning adulation and puff pieces, particularly if the economy is going sideways and there are no discernible foreign policy accomplishments from this administration.
Some reporters, new organizations, blogs (such as this), will pick up the drum beat and, when the heat is turned up, I fear P.T.P. (President Training Pants) will react with a flashes of anger as he first did in his campaign when he disputed the 8 hardball questions or he told told a reporter to pack off because he wanted to finish his waffles.
..it is then, in the absence of other hard news, that the wolves will begin to circle.
I’d be curious to see how he bears up then. If he loses it, then it will make interesting counterpoint to the grace and equanimity that George Bush showed under much more intense fire.
One must look past the obvious to discover what is really happening. There will lots of items reported by the M$M. Many of the actions taken by the BH will not be very well thought out such as the closing of Gitmo with no plan of how to do this. Here M$M and the left will spin this along the lines of O Hussian B’s talking points. M$M will not ask the hard questions nor will they report the answers or more accurately the non-answers of the Administration.
But let us be honest about this national security and defense is not a focus of the Left. It has not been for more than 30+ years. If anything the military is a threat to their agenda. B Hussein O will take the same path as Carter and Clinton. He will do all that he can to damage those who defend us from evil and protect our way of life.
His real focus will be driving this nation toward a socialist democratic state where the government that he and his fellow travelers will have control will have near total control over what remains of the private sector and the economy.
We already see this. The government has “invested” billions into Citi. Citi for all practical purposes has been nationalized. Citi as part of being a nationalized bank is repaying its socialist political masters by supporting the “cram down” of mortgages. It is the only large bank to do so. As the government “invests” in more banks and they become for all practical purpose nationalized Citi will not be the last to support this socialist idea.
OBAMA’S SHAMELESS CLIMATE CHANGE CLAIM
He is either clueless or he wants to deviously influence public opinion.
http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2009/01/president-is-clueless-on-climate-change.html
I think this says it all!
http://www.dccomics.com/media/excerpts/11594_x.pdf