Grow local leadership, not the federal bureaucracy
Defend our freedom to choose
against the progressive growth of government.
President Barack Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize
December 22, 2010 -
Reid: Treaty buffs Obama as Nobel Prize winner - So, this is how
we define national security interests now? The primary objective
of our foreign policy is to burnish Obama's image in Europe?
December 10, 2009 -
Obama defends US wars as he accepts peace prize - Comment:
At least he didn't apologize for America's role in the world as much as
usual in his foreign speeches, but one of his few applause lines for
this audience was a reference to standing up for our values - as though
his decision to close Guantanamo and try terrorists in court in New York
gave him moral superiority.
December 9, 2009 -
Obama to note conflict of peace prize in wartime - Comment:
Since he obviously knows nothing about achieving peace, he may as well
change the subject to something else which he knows nothing about - war.
Another "straw man" construct to set up and knock down?
Why can't he do the honorable thing, and refuse to accept
the prize? It is, after all, gross interference in the internal
political affairs of another nation - by a committee of legislators in
Norway trying to make a statement about American foreign policy.
He should tell them to stay out of American politics.
December 5, 2009 -
At war, honored for peace: Obama's tricky moment - Comment: It's
not tricky at all. He just has to accept recognition which he
clearly doesn't deserve. That should be easy. It's the story
of his political career. It's just another chance to put his
audience to sleep.
October 9, 2009 - President Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize. This is a truly stunning decision for somebody
who has accomplished so little in his lifetime, and is already proving
to be even worse than Carter as a hopelessly weak and naive American
president. Perhaps he will be pleased to get this consolation
prize for Chicago losing the 2016 Olympics
recently.
We have also scorned some dubious political choices,
such as
Al Gore and Jimmy Carter. There's a world full of very
accomplished people who are far better qualified for such recognition.
The specious rationalization that such an award may help to spur greater
accomplishments in the future would be more relevant to the selection of
an obscure but worthy candidate who is already doing a lot. The
only consolation in this news is that, after 2012, Obama can join Carter
at trying to salvage his reputation.
We have also suggested better alternatives - such as
Greg Mortenson of the Central Asia Institute. In any case,
whatever the Nobel committee thinks of Obama, it's up to Americans to
defeat his agenda so that he does no more damage to the country than
Carter or Gore have accomplished over the years.
GOP, even some liberals, dismiss Obama peace prize - -
Comment: The Nobel Prize for narcissistic rhetoric and
appeasement, and little else, is
now given to Obama as for Carter and Gore in the past. Why not
call it the award for promoting state socialism? The good news
is that Carter lost to Reagan, Gore lost to Bush, and Obama is now on
track to lose decisively in 2012.
October 10, 2009 - further reactions to the story
of Obama getting the Nobel Peace Prize
Russians praise, GOP mocks, Obama's peace prize The
Russians like a weak Obama. Unfortunately, the RNC hasn't
inspired much confidence yet among Americans, either. It still needs
to be more than the lesser of evils in 2010. Fundraising is important,
but where are the better candidates and the winning strategy, action
plan, and organizational effectiveness to win this fight and reverse
this mess? While Reagan and George W Bush may never win a Nobel
Peace Prize, they defended America and brought greater liberty to tens
of millions of people.
October 12, 2009 -
Clinton says Nobel a recognition of Obama's vision Note
the interesting delay in comment and careful political triangulation -
that she isn't as concerned about her face being in the media every day,
and is concentrating instead on getting things accomplished behind the
scenes. No comment on why the Clinton Global Initiative hasn't
achieved recognition. Surely that annoys Bill.
October 13, 2009 -
AP Newsbreak: Nobel jury defends Obama decision Funny, but
I don't recall the Nobel committee having to defend their past choices
against so much criticism. There have often been discussions about
other good candidates whose work was not recognized despite obvious
merit, but usually there has at least been some plausible reason for
people to applaud the winning laureate.
What has Obama done for the world
lately? Selected highlights from
global news
September 30, 2009 -
West goes to Iran talks - and readies sanctions - Comment: This
AP writer says "The fact that the meeting is taking place at all offers
some hope ..." Stop repeating the White House talking points!
It would offer some hope if the Iranians actually wanted to talk about
ending their nuclear weapons ambitions as well as their support for
international terrorism because they feared that it would soon lead to
their own destruction rather than expansion of their own power or the
return of the twelfth imam after triggering a global holocaust.
This meeting is a terrible diplomatic blunder by Obama, who is rapidly
proving his potential to be a far worse president than Carter (no small
accomplishment).
September 30, 2009 -
Obama's war council divided on Afghanistan - Comment: Dithering.
Any general worth his stars doesn't rely exclusively on the sifted
information he receives up through the formal chain of command. He goes
to the front and talks to the people who are leading the fight,
especially if there seem to be unexpected problems and a potential need
to change direction. A president needs to reach out beyond his White
House staff, political advisors, and the fawning bureaucrats protecting
their careers to avoid making really dumb mistakes (remember Kennedy?).
This would be like having a CEO who never takes time to talk to anyone
in the company other than his friends at the top, and thus loses touch
with the reality of the business. He's totally clueless as a real
leader of anything more than mindless drones who worship his rhetoric.
September 30, 2009 -
China's 60th anniversary stirs pride, also unease - Comment: Something
else to worry about. While Obama exudes weakness at every
opportunity, China is showing off the military power in which they have
been investing heavily for many years now.
September 22, 2009 -
AP sources: Instead of troops, maybe more drones - Comment:
Going back to the pre-9/11 strategy, like Clinton's preference to fire a
few missiles into the dirt and declare that he had retaliated and might
even do more someday if provoked - which was never really credible.
This will reinforce the Taliban and Al Qaeda expectation that Obama will
eventually give up and pull out if they continue to apply enough
pressure to raise the political cost of fighting the war.
Obama - go watch "Charlie Wilson's War" and pay attention
to the final scene.
We screwed up the endgame in Afghanistan
by leaving the Afghans to suffer under different tyrants once the ones
of concern to us (Soviets) were gone. The way to finish the game is to
not treat them like pawns in our own grand Asian or global strategy, as
past empires have done, but rather to work with the local Afghan leaders
(not the latest corrupt tyrant wannabes in Kabul). Look at how quickly
public attitudes shifted against the Taliban in Pakistan once their
atrocities in Swat reminded citizens elsewhere of the threat they posed,
and how little they had to offer other than sustained and brutal misery.
September 21, 2009 -
Clout fading, US vies to set G-20 meetings agenda - Comment:
As in the London G20 summit, European and other foreign bureaucrats
seem to be shaping the agenda while it remains difficult to even discern
a coherent summit strategy out of the White House. Is that the
strategy? Is Obama's strategy to just let others take the lead,
and go along with whatever damage they inflict on us?
September 21, 2009 -
AP: UN climate chief says China poised to lead -
Comment: This will provide political cover for the Obama
administration to do more harm to the US economy by pushing the cap and
trade legislation forward this fall in connection with the Copenhagen
summit talks. China needs to clean up the environmental nightmare
which it has created in recent years, but that doesn't mean that the
United States should adopt the suicidal cap and trade proposals.
It's a domestic issue for China, just at the USA adopted various
environmental policies as a domestic policy decision in recent decades.
September 10, 2009 -
Top US official: Climate bill urgently needed - Comment: Pay
attention to what is being done to replace the Kyoto agreement in the
Copenhagen summit this December. Special envoy Todd Stern (bio
here) has been leading the State Department discussions with China
and India behind the scenes in recent months.
September 9, 2009 -
US House Speaker: World can learn from China on climate - AFP
version of the above story. She's clueless. Watch out for what happens
in Copenhagen this December. They will be telling many more fairy tales
as that approaches. Some may believe them, but many Americans are waking
up to the threat. Pay attention to the G20 summit in Pittsburgh this
month. Our liberty can be eroded by stealth through informal agreements
between governments and regulatory revisions which don't require Senate
review and consent. Watch for regulations to be tweaked quietly behind
the scenes to push the environmental agenda if it attracts public
resistance.
September 4, 2009 -
Thousands around world rally against Hugo Chavez - Comment:
Congratulations. Despite the state media control in Venezuela,
activists are figuring out how to use Internet tools like Facebook to
organize opposition to this tyrant.
Too bad that
virtually none of the news media in the United States has paid any
attention to this story - like our own Tea Parties or the protests in
Iran. Are they on the side of the tyrants (like Obama), or do they
just think that any such resistance is futile and therefore not
newsworthy?
August 31, 2009 -
Report: Doctor confirms Iran prisoner abuse death - Comment:
The tyranny goes on. Will Obama even bother to express his typical "deep
concern" about this bit of news? More likely, it will be ignored, like
all the other atrocities which don't seem to bother him very much.
August 31, 2009 -
A 'civilian surge' to Afghanistan is just starting - Comment:
Agricultural specialists, educators, engineers ... and lawyers?
Why are we exporting lawyers to Afghanistan? If we
think Afghans are starting to distrust us or prefer the Taliban, wait
until we send them more lawyers!
August 31, 2009 -
US general: New strategy needed to defeat Taliban - Comment:
So, what is it? Given the headline, you might expect some hint of
a new strategy, or some facts to support the premise that Obama's recent
strategy and leadership change before a major offensive against the
Taliban in one of their strongest regions of support is working.
Instead, they're still trying to delay talking about any need for more
troops or money while the domestic political agenda remains the priority
in Washington. Obama probably can't even understand that Afghans
don't want a strong central government. Remember how they fought
the Soviets and the regime they imposed? It's about liberty and local
tribal control of their own lives, not elections. The Taliban were
just tyrants with a different agenda. That's why Afghans were glad
to be rid of them, too. Remember the "Articles of Confederation"
stage of our own history, when people in the various states didn't even
want to trust a strong central government to have even the most basic
authority?
August 29, 2009 -
US faces smaller, smarter enemy in Afghanistan - Comment:
Actually, the most dangerous battle is among specious politicians in
Washington. That's where al Qaeda still expects to win.
August 23, 2009 -
Mullen worried over public support for Afghan war - Comment:
As Obama's popularity slips, is he going to defend this alleged priority
from his campaign, or throw it under the bus too? The Democrats
always alleged that this was the "right" war on which Bush should have
concentrated, rather than the "war of choice" in Iraq. Now that
Obama is actually responsible for this war, expect hypocrisy.
August 20, 2009 -
Outgoing IAEA chief has tough choice on Iran - Comment:
Watch for this report to be punted beyond November, as it has been since
last September. How about a Nobel for appeasement?
August 19, 2009 -
Hungary remembers picnic that cracked Iron Curtain - Comment:
How many people here remember what happened, including the policies
which led up to it over the Reagan years? At the time, Reagan was
reviled by many Europeans who bought into the leftist rhetoric that he
was crazy and on the wrong side of history by standing up for liberty.
West Europeans had largely accepted that the East would continue to live
under tyranny, and many on both sides were fearful of the reunification
of Germany.
August 19, 2009 -
Latin leftists fear a Honduras coup domino effect - Comment:
Not to mention American leftists, who are starting to fear that they
will be voted out of power at the next election since they don't have
the luxury of being able to change the U.S. Constitution so easily to
perpetuate their rule.
August 18, 2009 -
Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling - Comment: Wall Street
Journal article about White House support for Petrobras. What a
remarkable coincidence - just a few days after George Soros made some
changes to his large investment stake in Petrobras, as
Bloomberg reported August 14.
August 9, 2009 -
Clinton: No illusions Iran will return to talks - Comment:
Gradually retreating from the Obama charm offensive / US apology tour in
the face of continued tyranny. Remember the promise to do
something if there is no response by September.
July 18, 2009 -
US envoy calls for patience on North Korea - Comment: Why
does he think that their provocations are "unsustainable", and not
likely to get worse if we continue to simply ignore them? That
would seem to disregard the evidence that their military has been
ramping up their brinksmanship lately.
July 15, 2009 -
In Egypt, Non-Aligned nations focus on meltdown - Comment:
Deja vu. Castro blames it all on the United States as the
non-aligned push their old new world order agenda ideas again.
Unfortunately, Obama may actually take such ideas seriously, as shown by
his global apology tours.
July 11, 2009 -
Obama declares to Africa: End tyranny, corruption - Comment:
Ironic. Obama is the closest America has come to a charismatic, populist
"big man" tyrant such as the ones who have helped to destroy Africa.
He talks as though he thinks Africa needs more community organizers
teaching people how to feed at the government trough of larger and more
"just" or "fair" social programs in order to succeed.
July 11, 2009 -
Scholar: NKorea wants US show of remorse - Comment: Let Al
Gore do it. He is already discredited as someone who tells lies in
public with a straight face. The US government should not.
Besides, it sets a bad precedent for the government to simply accept the
advice of such scholars. The fact that this advice was publicized,
rather than given in secret, exposes the manipulation attempt involved.
July 10, 2009 -
Medvedev sees single currency dream in G8 coin gift - Comment:
Don't underestimate this risk. Many people thought that the Euro
would never happen in Europe. It may seem crazy, and could be very
harmful to US interests, but Obama hasn't spoken out firmly against the
idea.
July 9, 2009 -
World leaders vow to restart stalled trade talks - Comment:
Back to the Doha round, at least in theory. In practice, prior
rhetoric of this nature has consistently led to no action.
July 9, 2009 -
AP Analysis: Mixed reviews greet Biden as a diplomat - Comment:
Hillary seems to be keeping a low profile, perhaps to avoid taking the
blame for Obama's mistakes. Meanwhile, Biden is making Spiro Agnew
look good. Where's the Biden-ism books and memorabilia, as with "Bushisms"?
July 9, 2009 -
AP Analysis: Obama's global reach only goes so far - Comment:
His foreign policy is hopeless. Other world leaders will be even
less receptive as his popularity at home slides - like Carter.
July 7, 2009 -
Armed mobs spread ethnic strife in China's west - Comment:
So how are those Uighurs from Guantanamo doing these days in their new
island homes? Note the government crackdown on Twitter and other
networking or communications channels, as with the Iran protests.
Has Obama expressed his "deep concern" about this situation yet?
Will he meddle in it, as in Honduras?
July 4, 2009 -
Obama's trip: 3 more countries, 1 broad mission - Comment:
Russia, G8 and Ghana trip plans. Be wary of the desire to reach
agreements just to create the political illusion of progress. Will
Obama say anything about the new "Unity" initiative of the African Union
while in Ghana?
July 4, 2009 -
Honduras leaves OAS after body decries coup - Comment: Smart
move! Let the OAS try to explain why it was trying to expel
Honduras while recently preparing to welcome Cuba. Beat the
leftists at their own game of exploiting populist nationalism when
facing foreign pressure.
July 3, 2009 -
Honduras rejects OAS appeal to restore president - Comment: How
ironic is this in the context of the timid Obama response to media
arrests and ruthless repression of protesters in Iran?
"On Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Honduras issued a
statement expressing "deep concern over restrictions imposed on
certain fundamental rights" by Micheletti's government, including a
curfew in force since Sunday, and "reports of intimidation and
censorship against certain individuals and media outlets."
July 2, 2009 -
Obama to tell Putin: Time to move past Cold War - Comment:
Obama was still just a college student when Reagan firmly brought it to
a successful conclusion despite all his liberal critics. Obama
doesn't seem to have a firm grasp of that recent history, much less
current foreign policy issues.
Read past the
headline for some other memorable quotes, such as "I'm not
reconciled with that" when asked about the risk of Iran getting
nuclear weapons during his term of office. How weak is that?
July 1, 2009 -
Honduras governments' isolation grows after coup - Comment:
Where are all the liberal pundits now who always allege that foreign
pressure will just stiffen the nationalistic resolve of the people to
resist such pressure, and thereby make a conflict more difficult to
resolve by negotiation? Suddenly everybody is in favor of
ultimatums and threats? Why? Because Honduras isn't a
threat? Do different rules apply when left-wing leaders fail to
perpetuate their own grip on power as intended?
July 1, 2009 -
Iran reformists show fresh defiance against regime - Comment:
They are now comparing the election to a coup by Ahmedinejad.
Maybe they have noticed the Honduras news, where world leaders were
quick to condemn a coup even while not worrying about legitimacy in
Iran.
July 1, 2009 -
WFP says funding shortfall for NKorea food aid - Comment:
As Kim threatens more missile tests and arms proliferation in defiance
of the UN, the UN worries about giving him more food aid. That
makes N Korea even more reliant on food and energy from China. Is
this a problem for us?
June 30, 2009 -
AP Analysis: Obama's swift stand on Honduran coup - Comment:
Trying to spin the Obama response as a bold new approach to Latin
America, without even asking the question of whether active support for
Zelaya's return now is in our national interests, even if we don't like
the general idea of military coups and didn't encourage or support this
one. Why was he silent for so long about the repression in Iran,
but swift to denounce the coup in Honduras? Aren't we meddling in
the internal affairs of Honduras by insisting that Zelaya be returned to
power?
June 29, 2009 -
Leaders from Obama to Chavez blast Honduras coup - Comment:
Unlike the comments by Susan Rice about Iran yesterday, political
legitimacy is suddenly an issue. Tyrants of the world, rejoice.
Regime change is no longer of interest. Empty rhetoric is back.
June 29, 2009 -
Group favors 4-step plan to scrap nuclear weapons by 2030+ -
Comment: Watch out as Russia and others see another
opportunity to exploit Obama's naivete / weakness. As we celebrate
July 4, Obama will be preparing to quickly replace the START 1 deal with
Russia.
June 28, 2009 -
Iran's crackdown quiets streets but not anger - Comment: 3000
protesters in north Tehran being attacked again by riot police.
The rooftops of Tehran still echo the frustration.
June 28, 2009 -
Obama officials say talks with Iran still possible - Comment:
Note this quote by the AP report of what the US ambassador to the
UN, Susan Rice, said: "The legitimacy of the government, while
questioned by the people of Iran, is not the critical issue for the U.S.
goal of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear capability".
Wow. Tyrants of the world, rejoice.
The
White House word of the day, both for David Axelrod on ABC and Susan
Rice on NBC, was to characterize Ahmedinejad's accusations as
"bloviating". Is this latest stunt trying to suggest that Bill
O'Reilly of Fox News is the moral equivalent of that tyrant? That
seems similar to other red herrings, like their attacks on Rush
Limbaugh. The obvious point is that it is the Obama administration
which is doing the bloviating these days - through empty rhetoric as
they try to distract from their failed policy initiatives and growing
evidence of weakness and naivete.
June 28, 2009 -
Afghan minister says drug strategy is 'perfect' - Comment:
Not the new one. The failure to make significant progress at
limiting Afghan opium production for decades. The new policy will
basically abandon the pretense that it is working, and shift the blame
elsewhere instead.
June 26, 2009 -
Obama scoffs at Ahmedinejad apology demand - Comment: Still
all talk and no actions - even symbolic ones. At least Carter
froze Iranian assets in the hostage crisis as an unexpected symbolic
gesture. Obama has rescinded July 4 party invitations.
Impressed yet?
June 26, 2009 - Iran: new audience for US scholar's protest guide -
Comment: This regime is very different than the ones which
collapsed under pressure in other countries. A better analogy
might be Tiananmen Square - where the regime is still firmly in power 20
years later after making economic progress while persistently cracking
down on dissent. Similarly, the ruthless regime in North Korea has
managed to survive a long time as a failed state, as have others such as
Mugabe's Zimbabwe. Ultimately, the economic failures of the regime
in Iran will probably bring about their collapse as unrest grows, but
that will take time. 30 years of tyranny and counting.
June 24, 2009 -
US rescinds July 4 invites for Iran diplomats - Comment:
Duh! Finally - one day after Obama defended the invitations again
at his press conference. We challenged the idea here from the start
(June 2). Fox News and others finally challenged it this week.
June 24, 2009 -
Unimaginable horror in Tehran today - Comment: Gruesome
images, including the ax murder of a young man by the Basij militia.
More stories on
ThreatsWatch.org How can the Obama administration waffle about
the response to such barbarous atrocities?
June 24, 2009 -
US general says troops need new view of Afghan war - Comment:
More on the new policy of treating any civilian areas as sanctuaries for
the Taliban. Let's see now - how did that policy work out for the
Pakistanis when they gave the Taliban control of Swat for a while?
Are we just giving the Taliban a green light to exercise ruthless
control in civilian areas, as in the past, so that they will get full
blame for any casualties as a reminder of what Taliban rule was like?
How can we make progress at helping Afghans to build a
better future if we follow this strategy? Why would local tribal
leaders support us if they know we will back off if they come under
attack? Are we trying to lure the Taliban back into Afghanistan
along with pressure now from Pakistan?
June 5, 2009 - British navy sinks pirate boat - Comment: This
Reuters headline is a bit misleading. They sank the boat - but
then let the pirates go, as has been recent NATO policy. They were
armed with weapons and grappling hooks for piracy, rather than for
fishing, but they were still released for "lack of evidence" since they
hadn't successfully finished their crime yet. When will this
insane and dangerous "catch and release' policy toward these pirates be
stopped?
June 5, 2009 - AP Analysis: Obama tries evenhanded approach -
Comment: How is it evenhanded to hardly say a word in defense
of all that we have done for the benefit of Muslims? Indeed, the
very premise of talking to the "Islamic world" accepts the false idea of
radicals that all Muslims are engaged in a great clash of civilizations
with the West, as if they were all a single special interest group
rather than a highly diverse mix of people in different countries and
cultures who frequently do not agree with each other on very much.
This myth of a common enemy is one of the most fundamental tools of the
terrorists, and he just reinforced this "us vs. them" perception by
pretending that it we somehow wronged all of them in the past, and
promise to behave now.
June 3, 2009 - Obama visits Saudi king before high-stakes speech -
Comment: " meant to ease long-held Muslim grievances against
the United States"? "In one gesture, organizers made sure
that members of Egypt's main opposition movement, the outlawed Muslim
Brotherhood, would be in the audience at Cairo University." Why
not invite Ayman al Zawahiri and his friends, too?
June 3, 2009 - To open a Muslim dialogue, Obama visits Saudi king -
Comment: How on earth can he talk about "misapprehensions"
about Muslims in the West as the moral equivalent of the hate mongering
and terrorism spread by Islamist extremists - notably the Wahabbists
from Saudi Arabia?
June 2, 2009 - US inviting Iranian diplomats to July 4 parties -
Comment: Let's do better than the White House and State
Department on this outreach initiative. Let's invite all the
Iranian refugees in this country who have fled the tyranny in Iran to
live in freedom here to join us at Tea Party protests across America on
July 4, and show their opposition to appeasement toward the Iranian
zealots.
June 1, 2009 - Obama's outreach to Muslims is a big gamble -
Comment: Trying to sell it as a prudent or brilliant gesture
rather than another naive and reckless mistake at a very dangerous time.
Success is now defined as progress from outright hostility to grudging
disapproval of US policies, as though the possibility of standing up for
what we believe is simply irrational and out of the question..
May 31, 2009 - Muslims want tangible change on Mideast from Obama -
Comment: Let's hope that they are as disappointed as we are by
his actions. Why isn't the focus on the tangible change which we
want to see from them? Why do we accept that our policies are the
source of all problems? Why do we accept their allegation of our
"occupation of Iraq", rather than liberation of it from tyranny?
The correct response should be that we will respect them
when they earn our respect, not demand it. We owe no apologies to
"Muslims", because we treat them with respect here. What we don't
respect are the tyrants among them who have perpetuated misery and
conflict in their region for centuries, and who wish to spread their
tyranny to other countries, including our own. We resolutely
oppose them.
May 31, 2009 - Geithner calls for closer economic ties with China -
Comment: If business leaders were worried about the trade
deficit and currency manipulation in China in the past as a problem,
look at the situation now that China has been given more leverage
through reckless spending.
May 30, 2009 - Geithner wields little leverage in China talks -
Comment: The story mentions that China holds $768 billion in US debt
(as of March), but neglects to mention whether that is increasing or
decreasing. With so much new debt being created by the exponential
growth in spending programs, is China still willing to invest in our
debt? That's why Geithner is now going to China "hat in hand".
May 26, 2009 - AP Analysis: US looking for Russians, Chinese to lead
- Comment: Is this what Joe Biden was talking about, when he
said that Obama would be tested within 6 months and might appear to be
making the wrong decision? With so many wrong decisions already in
just 4 months, it is going to be difficult to choose, but surely this is
a top contender for the prize. It's bad enough to try to pass the
buck to the UN. Why is it such a good idea for Russia and China to
assert their power now, even if they surprise us by actually doing so?
Do we support them collapsing the Pyongyang regime in favor of setting
up a more compliant one to their liking? Isn't that what the
Soviets did in Afghanistan?
May 26, 2009 - Pentagon: Some released detainees return to battle -
Comment: The reporter seems to be keen to push the idea that
some of the released prisoners may never have been terrorists in the
first place, or that some may have joined Al Qaeda after their detention
(i.e., we provoked them). The obvious point is that this "catch
and release" program has cost more innocent lives, even if some of the
detentions may have been in error. Keeping them locked up did not
cost more lives, despite all the allegations that Gitmo has had some
unproven "recruitment" value as a symbol. The terrorists had no
need for such a symbol, because they couldn't care less about how we
treat our prisoners - since they brutally torture their own. They
already recruited and attacked us for many years before we responded.
May 20, 2009 - Pentagon official: US must take Gitmo prisoners -
Comment: Does anybody else think it is a bit arrogant for an
Obama appointee to lecture members of Congress on their decisions?
Who ever heard of this official before? Who elected her to dictate
what civilians should accept here? There is no good reason to
close Gitmo. It's ideally suited to the unique role for which it
was created. The fact that some liberals and foreigners don't like
it is no excuse for doing something even worse. See the related
story
Judge says US can hold detainees indefinitely
May 14, 2009 - US Navy detains 17 suspected pirates - Comment:
Will it follow the "catch and release" policy adopted by NATO countries?
See April 14 - 18 stories on Somali piracy below.
This seems to have quickly disappeared from the news, with no follow-up
reports about the actions taken.
May 9, 2009 - Russia displays military might on Victory Day -
Comment: Largest show of force since Soviet times as NATO does
training in Georgia. Did you ever notice that we don't celebrate
victory any longer? No more V-E day, V-J day, etc. At least
the Russians still know what they want. How many Americans even
respect Memorial Day as more than
a day off from work, or the start of summer?
April 18, 2009 - NATO frees 20 hostages; pirates seize Belgian ship
- Comment: But did you look beyond the headline at the rest of this
story? They let the three captured pirates go because they said
they had no legal authority to arrest them! This is the European
response to piracy! If you can't arrest the pirates, then why
can't you at least shoot them on the spot rather than catch and release
them? The Dutch literally set them free because they were "not
Dutch" - and thus not within their mandate. So, if NATO forces
confront pirates, all the pirates have to do is give up to be set free
to do it again.
Meanwhile, Europeans are talking about how to send more
aid to the area so that young people in Somalia won't be tempted to go
into piracy. This is not a joke! They actually believe this
nonsense. What on earth is going to reward them as much as going
into piracy if there are millions in ransoms to be paid by the
shipowners and insurers, and virtually no consequences for these crimes?
This is like expecting Afghans to grow low-value subsistence crops
instead of high-value weeds like opium.
April 14, 2009 - Ending Somali piracy: few options for US forces -
Comment: the usual European liberal hand-wringing about having few
good options other than to just pay off the pirates. This has been
their approach since the days of Thomas Jefferson. Even in that
era, with far more limited military capabilities at our disposal, we
stood up to piracy and didn't agonize over it as a legal or human rights
dilemma, or blame it on the impoverished societies from which the
pirates came. We killed pirates. We didn't agonize over the
insurance companies, valuable cargo, or the American lives lost.
We took the fight to the shores of Tripoli, and even though it didn't
end piracy, the pirates chose other targets who were still willing to
pay bribes and ransoms, rather than American ships. Today,
relatively few ships may be of American registry or have American crew
members, but global trade is critical, as is continued respect for the
superiority of our naval capabilities in a dangerous world. We
don't need to try the Clinton approach to nation-building in Somalia
again. We just need to kill enough pirates to make it clear that
this is not a viable business model for them, no matter how bad life is
in Somalia.
April 9, 2009 - US dealings with Iran remain on a slippery path -
Comment: Dangerously naive and weak
would be more accurate, not slippery. Why engage them at all
before their elections? Let them make the first move if they have
any serious interest in negotiations which address our concerns.
April 6, 2009 - Afghans welcome but also doubt new war strategy -
Comment: Justifiable skepticism.
These people remember the misery which weak American presidents ignore,
and fear it. The Taliban leaders assert that they will fight to
the death against us - not only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but in
America if they can pull it off.. So this is how we open a new
diplomatic dialogue?
April 6, 2009 - Obama to Muslim world: No US war with Islam -
Comment: This has already won praise from
Muslim groups like CAIR, but with no call for reciprocal assertions
by the Islamist radicals that they are not at war with us. As the
"war on terrorism" rhetoric is replaced by vague euphemisms, this may
make some Bush critics feel better, but the problem is that there needs
to be relentless pressure on our actual irreconcilable enemies rather
than all this rhetoric about wanting to be friends. We can be
friends with those who want to reciprocate - but must stand firmly
against our adversaries.
April 6, 2009 - Big cuts seen for F-22, other big weapons programs -
Comment: Unilateral commitment to long-term military weakness.
Carter and Clinton are probably proud of Obama. This
administration may weaken the US military so much that their legacies
will seem to be less significant. The F-22 program is just one
part of this story. There's far more to it - including the lack of
long-term strategic threat assessments as other countries continue to
invest heavily in their militaries.
Veterans really need to look into this plan, as do other Americans,
and protest to Congress.
March 28, 20090 - China challenges US global financial leadership -
Comment: Read this carefully. China is boldly asserting the
superiority of their one party, central state planning model.
Ahead of the G20 summit, it is pushing for more global regulatory powers
and a global currency.
March 27, 2009 - AP Analysis: New war strategy requires outside help
- Comment: What new war strategy in Afghanistan? Ask the
Europeans for more help? Ask Pakistani leaders to crack down on Al
Qaeda, and rein in ISI collaboration with the Taliban or other Islamist
radicals, despite the recent deal in Swat, while asking Afghan leaders
to negotiate with the Taliban? Is everybody confused yet?
March 27, 2009 - Obama widens al-Qaida war, making it his own -
Comment: Maybe he will deploy liberal community activists to
the tribal areas to protest corruption in Kabul and Islamabad? Is
there real recognition of the importance of working with local tribal
leaders, as in the "surge" strategy? Are we demonstrably on the
side of "we the people" in Pakistan and Afghanistan, or more corruption?
Remember this quote from the article: "I
want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused
goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida in Pakistan and
Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the
future," Obama said. "That's the goal that must be achieved. That is a
cause that could not be more just."
Comment: This may seem to be a "just cause"
from a populist American political perspective, but that's irrelevant.
Wars are not won by their cause being "just". They are won by
defeating the most determined enemy despite the cost of doing so.
Are these lofty war goals attainable with the limited resources
involved? Will Afghans and Pakistanis share this goal? Some
of their leaders may share our perception of al-Qaida as a threat, but
they and their people have many complex goals. You might as well
declare that it is our goal to rid Afghanistan and Pakistan of guns.
Lofty rhetoric, but not a viable strategy, because few people in the
tribal regions of either country would share such a goal. They
really do cling to their guns and religion - and certainly don't trust a
strong central government, because they already know that it has rarely
brought them anything except prolonged misery.
March 21, 2009 - Iran's response to US shows mind-set of leadership
- Comment: At least AP reporters in the region seem to
understand how naive and harmful Obama's approach may prove to be.
Like Bill Clinton in Iraq, he may have just thrown any real opposition
movement in Iran under the bus. Ahmedinejad and Khamenei can claim
victory over George Bush's obvious support of regime change.
March 21, 2009 - Iran's supreme leader dismisses Obama overtures -
Comment: Nothing lost in translation this time, unlike the
"reset" overture to Medvedev recently. They don't want to be
friends, especially during their election cycle. Happy Nowruz,
Obama. Welcome to the real world, like Carter. Still waiting
for "moderates" to be elected to power in Iran, 30 years later?
Hello? Is anybody there?
March 1, 2009 - Clinton to announce $300 million pledge to Gaza -
Comment: Why are we propping up Hamas by such aid to Gazans while
rockets are still being fired into Israel? If they ever honor
their ceasefire agreement, perhaps it might merit consideration.
Until then, it's a total waste.
February 26, 2009 - Under Obama's plan, tax burden shifts to the wealthy
- Comment: Don't believe it. This will kill job creation
and business investment in this country. Capital will flow out, as
it has in other countries where populist regimes have tried to fund all
of their programs by targeting the "rich". In the end, they just
destroy the prosperity of everyone. All taxes go up, and spending
does too.
February 26, 2009 - Economists wonder: Rosy Scenario makes a comeback
- Comment: Duh. By the time that most people figure out
that it is deceptive, all the spending programs will all have been
pushed through already, and we'll have to figure out after 2010 how on
earth to pay for it. More taxes on the "rich" will never be enough
- even if the taxes were 100% of income. This is a con, like
another government Ponzi scheme
in which future income is assumed to cover all of the high payouts now.
February 25, 2009 - Financial Times - The
Economists' Forum column by Martin Wolf - "What
Obama should tell the leaders of the Group of 20". He
suggests a letter and getting more engaged now to chart a different
course - before EU bureaucrats drive the London summit agenda in the
wrong direction. See our thoughts about the G20 Summit in April
2009 and recent
World Economic Forum - "While you were
sleeping" These initiatives are still moving forward
quietly, and should be alarming.
February
24, 2009 - No terror talk: Homeland Security head's new tone -
Comment: Yes, why can't we all be friends, like Carter and
Hamas? They all want peace - the piece called Israel, that is.
We were all so much happier before 9/11 reminded us that the world
remains a very dangerous place. Remember - "It's the economy,
stupid"? All this foreign stuff distracts from the domestic power
agenda.
February 24, 2009 - Fact Check: Obama glosses over complex realities
- Comment: Wow. Even the AP figured this out. The
spin didn't leave everyone as giddy and dizzy as during the campaign.
For example, note the promises of big savings over 10 years - not the 4
for which he is really accountable.
February 24, 2009 - Obama vows to lead US from dire 'day of reckoning'
- Comment: The focus is on health care "reform" (not tort
reform as one way to lower medical insurance costs), more education
spending, and investment in alternative energy initiatives (while
quietly blocking offshore drilling, etc.). Remember the "not one
more dime" promise of no new taxes if earning under $250,000.
Watch - this is all just political cover for the next spending moves on
the budget and other initiatives in the weeks ahead.
February 24, 2009 - Obama calls for carbon cap regulation - Comment:
If mankind produces anything, even hot air, then government officials
can justify regulating and taxing it, and spending billions for
academics as well as expanded regulatory agencies to study and manage
it. What a concept. See the notes below about Al Gore's
significant stake in all this (February 19 and
February 14).
February 23, 2004 - Michael Ledeen, in National Review Online -
The Great Iranian Election Fiasco - Comment: Background
for those who may not realize that opposition to the regime in Iran has
been quietly growing for many years - not because of our policy toward
Iran, but because ordinary Iranians have been frustrated but silenced
into largely symbolic protests of this tyranny, such as by abstaining en
masse from participation in sham elections despite exhortations to vote.
February 22, 2009 - EU leaders back sweeping financial regulations
- Comment: The EU is moving forward with Angela Merkel's vision of
global financial market regulation as we warned during the World Economic Forum event in Davos
in January.
Watch out for the European Council meeting in March and the Group of 20
(G-20) summit in April, which Obama will attend in London.
February 19, 2009 - Reid: Senate to take up climate change this year
- Comment: Note the moves to kill any offshore drilling. After
slipping many billions into the stimulus bill (see Feb. 14 statement by
Al Gore below), they're going to wait until the summer to talk about
global warming. After all, this has been a pretty harsh winter for
many Americans, so they would rather push other spending priorities now.
February 14, 2009 - Statement by Former Vice President Al Gore,
Chairman of the Alliance for Climate Protection, on Final Congressional
Passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 -
Comment: Note that Gore just regards the billions in this bill as a
"downpayment". This is just the first crack in the levee before a flood
of other federal spending creates a needless global disaster.
February 7,
2009 - "We are all socialists now" - cover story of Newsweek,
Feb. 16 edition, with various related stories. Comment:
This liberal insurgency needs to be defeated. The solutions will not be
found through Washington. They will be found in states and cities where
there is more direct accountability for performance in government.
February 5, 2009 - from
FactCheck.org (Annenberg Center) Campaign 2010 Begins - Comment:
Report on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee already
launching misleading attack against against 28 Republican members of the
House of Representatives. They couldn't wait to try to put these
members of Congress on the defensive already as the new Congress started
to work.
February 1, 2009 - Nominations for the Nobel Peace
Prize closed.
NY
Times Magazine - November 4, 2007 -
"Is (His) Biography (Our) Destiny?" - Comment: Early
background piece, including Obama's approach to international relations,
foreign policy issues.
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