Tag: President Obama

This reported today by the A.P.

“Obama said the war would not be reduced to a narrowly defined counterterrorism effort, with the withdrawal of many U.S. forces and an emphasis on special operations forces that target terrorists in the dangerous border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Two senior administration officials say such a scenario has been inaccurately characterized and linked to Vice President Joe Biden, and that Obama wanted to make clear he is considering no such plan.”

–WASHINGTON (AP)

Think about that.

Translation: There is no change in U.S. Foreign Policy.

The illegal and corrupt Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Gates global Warfare will just continue on and on and on for 8 more terrible years.

The whole 2008 Presidential Election was just a theatrical bit of stage acting by Obama designed to fool liberals, progressives, libertarians, moderates, and conservatives of good conscience, that have been horrified at all the reckless human carnage, War atrocities, and collosal waste of tax payers money, into voting for promise of a change in direction (that was never to even be considered).

Probably the single biggest mistake that President Obama made, was losing a great deal of control over the direction of the ongoing (corrupt) U.S. Foreign Wars, Occupations, and general Policy, by bringing back the outgoing (Bush-Cheney appointee) Robert Gates — whose policies the public clearly rejected in the 2006 and 2008 Elections.

An article has been reported today that goes into more details about the internal struggle going on now within the Administration, and the tragic consequences for having left things in the hands of Robert Gates.

Obama In Secret Russia Visit Warns Putin, “I May Not Make It“

By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers

Reports circulating in the Kremlin today are detailing an extraordinary ‘secret’ meeting held between Prime Minister Putin and President Obama at the request of the American leader that took place on Air Force One upon its landing at the Russian military airstrip at Pulkovo I in Saint Petersburg during a stopover while in route to Copenhagen, Denmark.

According to these reports, Obama stated to Putin that the US Government was in “total disarray” after what the American President called a “putsch” made against him by high-ranking members of the US Military during a ‘fractious‘ meeting in the White House of the United States top Military, Intelligence and National Security officers over the future course of the war in Afghanistan.

Most distressing to Obama was his chief and longest serving, National Security Advisor, US Naval Intelligence Officer Mark Lippert, being forced out of the White House by the Bush appointed US Defense Secretary, and former CIA Director, Robert Gates who ‘ordered’ Lippert out of the White House and back to active duty.

Obama further reported to Putin that Gates told him, “in no uncertain terms” that the President had “no power whatsoever” over US Military decisions regarding Afghanistan whereupon Gates then ‘leaked’ to the US propaganda media his intention to massively increase America’s troop levels in the Afghan war zone.

Even worse for Obama, who is already struggling with a collapsing economy, Gates further undermined the President by ordering 6,600 armored war trucks at a cost estimated to be in excess of $8 billion the US Military intends to pour into Afghanistan during the coming year at the expense of his Nations people already struggling under their Nations massive war debts.

When queried by Putin as to his ability to regain control of those factions opposing him Obama in these reports is quoted as saying, “I may not make it“.

Further troubling evidence of the disarray the US Government now finds itself in as Obama wages this titanic battle against the right-wing fascist forces seeking to destroy him can be seen in the actions of the powerful US Senator Jim DeMint who is openly defying the White House by traveling to the Central American Nation of Honduras to give his support to the CIA backed coup leader, Roberto Micheletti, who recently overthrew that countries legitimate President Manuel Zelaya and put his Nation under martial law.

link

After all the controversy about the kids in grade school (purported as preschool, but those kids look a bit older to me) singing the praises about President Obama, I thought that I would tell of my experience.  You have to know that I was raised in that bastion of left thinking, liberal political area of west central Arkansas (yes, that was with a chuckle).

The last Democrat that carried the county until after Rockefeller (yes, Arkansas elected a Rockefeller to office) was elected to the office of governor was Orval Faubus, mainly because he stood up to “the niggers” and the federal government during the desegregation conflict at Central High School in Little Rock during the year of my birth, 1957 CE.

Here is a bit of what I grew up with in public school, so that the record may be set straight.  I was indoctrinated.

(crossposted from orange)

Just finished watching President Obama’s speech in Cincinnati.

I really liked it.  And it put to rest something that has truly disturbed me when it comes to the notion that President Obama should not … and even CANnot, show anger.

I thought he showed a whole lot of anger.  I thought he showed it very well.

When he spoke about those who are lying about his health care reform, those who say we’re trying to “kill granny,” and he said he had “one question” for them — “what is YOUR solution?”

I saw the anger.  I saw it blaze in his eyes.

I have to wonder why folks think that for Obama to show anger he has to go hysterical and lose his temper.  And I have to wonder why those of us who have counseled that he should show his anger have been admonished to see this is a racial issue.

I understand the historical context.  I understand that for generations if a Black man showed his anger, trouble followed both him and his family.

I understand that.

What I don’t understand is the misunderstanding, the assumption towards what most folks like me mean when we say we want to see Obama’s anger.

It’s a sterotype in itself, that assumption.

He showed anger and passion in that speech.  It was a real barn burner, imo, after a kind of slow start.  And I think it was good for him, as well, to be in the midst of the kinds of folks who worked so hard to put him in office, for him to get that jolt of support and be reminded of the great energy of his campaign.

He didn’t waffle, he didn’t get wonkish.  He spoke about health care using a big narrative, connecting it to families and workers and the strength of our economy.  He showed his anger with what we are ALL angry with — greed, selfishness, an old way of doing business that benefited the few at the expense of the many.

He showed anger in his own way and I felt that and applauded it.

I hope he shows that passion and anger this week when he speaks before Congress.  I hope he can show the American people that he is angry FOR us, that he understands what too many folks are suffering.

And I hope that finally, the notion that Obama cannot show anger will end, that we won’t fear for him any more when it comes to that reality.

There’s been a lot of back and forth about President Obama’s style.  I’ve heard some outlandish proclamations that he will not change his style, this is how he’s ALWAYS been, we must adapt to him, he’s not a drama queen, on and on.

I read an article today in the Times-Picayune and the title sort of captures my feelings on this subject:  “Obama keeps close tabs on New Orleans recovery — from a distance.”

It’s not a great article, that’s for sure.  It too often quotes Republicans and “experts” I’m not terribly impressed by.  It touts the fact that Mary Landrieu, she of the “oh I’m not sure I’ll vote for the public option” mentality as saying:

With “federal agencies finally working as partners and not adversaries, ” Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-LA, said, “in its first seven months, the Obama Administration has made significant progress toward making the Gulf Coast recovery effort quicker and more efficient.”

I have no reason to disbelieve that the Obama Administsration is trying to work as a partner and not an adversary.  I think, though, that’s setting the bar a wee bit low.  But that could just be me.  Well hell, who cares, this is my Op-Ed so of COURSE it’s just my opinion!  Jaysus.

The deathers are all worried about how old folks will be treated under Democratic health care legislation.

Perhaps they have forgotten how old folks were treated under Republican rule:

How many old folks died because our federal government saw no role to play in protecting and caring for its citizens?

See, the trouble with not looking back is that we don’t remember what we ought to remember.

Katrina is something to remember.  Always.  The federal flood, they call it on the NOLA blogs.  The federal flood because the Army Corps of Engineers cut corners and didn’t make the levees right.  The federal flood because heckuva job Brownie and Bush’s happy cronies didn’t give a shit about the folks suffering but only cared about going to the cash register to hear the “ca-ching” that meant their usual profit off of human suffering.  Blackwater profited.  Halliburton profited.  A whole lot of Republicans profited.