Don't you just love it how the keyboard bombardiers and their cable TV echo chamber are outraged --just outraged-- that
Barack Obama has had
General McChrystal's report now for three whole weeks and STILL hasn't decided how to move forward, or backward, in Afghanistan?
My, my. It was OK for
George W. Bush to precipitously and rather thoughtlessly stampede us into a futile war in Iraq. And it was just fine for the same administration to spend nearly eight years badly bollixing up the war in Afghanistan (the Taliban now have a real presence in 80% of the country compared with 52% two years ago). And it was just fine to sit back and do nothing as the corrupt American-backed government in Kabul greased the way for Afghanistan to become the major exporter of opium poppy in the world.
But,
Obama, you see, well gosh. Time's a-wastin'! He should hurry up and make a decision to escalate next week! Tomorrow! Tonight!
I have to tell you, as I have said before, this whole matter gives me the heebie-jeebies and sure doesn't feel very reassuring. Talk about a lose-lose proposition. Obama has inherited a failing strategy in a no-win war and now faces the prospects of a) pulling out, letting the Taliban come back to power and suffering the obvious consequences or b) escalating and running the risk of steering his ship of hope into the rocks of another Vietnam or c) sort of staying the course and slowly letting things continue to deteriorate. One other thing I've said before: I'm thankful I don't get paid to make these decisions. I would opt for none of the above.
I'm also thankful that we have a president who is at least thinking, and thinking hard, about this before making any rash decisions. Indeed, he has my personal permission to take another three weeks, or even twice or three times that amount, if that's what it takes, to retool our strategy.
In the meantime, let me second what
Gene Robinson writes here: if we wanted
General McChrystal to make foreign policy, we would have elected him and not Barack Obama. We still have a country where civilians run the military and McChrystal's near-transparent lobying effort to build support for a troop surge is wholly out of place. His job is to take orders from the commander-in-chief, not to run an off-the-shelf political advocacy shop. If he doesn't like it, he can quit. He has my personal permission to proceed.
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Don't you just love it how the keyboard bombardiers and their cable TV echo chamber are outraged --just outraged-- that Barack Obama has had General McChrystal's report now for three whole weeks and STILL hasn't decided how to move forward, or backward, in Afghanistan?
My, my. It was OK for George W. Bush to precipitously and rather thoughtlessly stampede us into a futile war in Iraq. And it was just fine for the same administration to spend nearly eight years badly bollixing up the war in Afghanistan (the Taliban now have a real presence in 80% of the country compared with 52% two years ago). And it was just fine to sit back and do nothing as the corrupt American-backed government in Kabul greased the way for Afghanistan to become the major exporter of opium poppy in the world.
But, Obama, you see, well gosh. Time's a-wastin'! He should hurry up and make a decision to escalate next week! Tomorrow! Tonight!
I have to tell you, as I have said before, this whole matter gives me the heebie-jeebies and sure doesn't feel very reassuring. Talk about a lose-lose proposition. Obama has inherited a failing strategy in a no-win war and now faces the prospects of a) pulling out, letting the Taliban come back to power and suffering the obvious consequences or b) escalating and running the risk of steering his ship of hope into the rocks of another Vietnam or c) sort of staying the course and slowly letting things continue to deteriorate. One other thing I've said before: I'm thankful I don't get paid to make these decisions. I would opt for none of the above.
I'm also thankful that we have a president who is at least thinking, and thinking hard, about this before making any rash decisions. Indeed, he has my personal permission to take another three weeks, or even twice or three times that amount, if that's what it takes, to retool our strategy.
In the meantime, let me second what Gene Robinson writes here: if we wanted General McChrystal to make foreign policy, we would have elected him and not Barack Obama. We still have a country where civilians run the military and McChrystal's near-transparent lobying effort to build support for a troop surge is wholly out of place. His job is to take orders from the commander-in-chief, not to run an off-the-shelf political advocacy shop. If he doesn't like it, he can quit. He has my personal permission to proceed.
October 5th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Good post, Marc.
Except that, had I been Robinson, I’d have knocked the modifier out of this sentence, “McChrystal’s near-transparent lobbying effort……” etc.
It was straight up see-thru.
October 5th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Allow me to express the official right-wing extremist position. {clears throat}
“Cut and run cut and run cut and run cut and run cut and run cut and run cut and run liberals liberals liberals liberals!
Cut and run!”
Thank you. Carry on.
October 6th, 2009 at 4:15 am
“But we must never forget. This is not a war of choice. This is a war of necessity. Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again.”
August 17, 2009
October 6th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Poor LBJ, who “inherited a failing strategy in a no-win war” from JFK, who micromanaged the war rather than let his generals run it, who put politics ahead of winning, and who didn’t know that you couldn’t have guns & butter at the same time without horrible consequences, including runaway inflation, rising debt, and higher taxes.
It’s just not fair for a President to not be given a clean slate when he takes office. Let’s throw a tantrum and have a hissy fit.
It’s all Bush’s fault, and will be in the eyes of politicians who haven’t grown up enough to take responsibility.
On the other hand, Obama wouldn’t have been elected unless he had convinced the American people that he understood the problems and had the quick-fix answers. If we didn’t have problems, then even Marc could be President and cruise along.
I used to think that Obama was just like Jimmy Carter, but now I realize that he’s the worst of Carter and Johnson.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:57 am
“Let’s throw a tantrum and have a hissy fit.”
Excellent follow-thru on your own suggestion, Wooden One.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Hey Bobster, back atchya – but much, much more ironic.
“If we don’t stop extending our troops all around the world, in nation-building missions, then we’re going to have a serious problem coming down the road. I’m going to prevent that.”
–George W. Bush, 2000
October 6th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Hey reg: I agreed with that. events intervened.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Hey Woody – go have a talk about taking responsibility with Bush-apologist Bill Kristol who blamed 9/11 on Clinton. Also check in with Dick Cheney who blamed 9/11 on a subordinate when he said, quote: “You know, Dick Clarke. Dick Clarke, who was the head of the counterrorism program in the run-up to 9/11. He obviously missed it.” “It’s Clinton’s fault,” in some form – often overt – was the shriek from the geeks and creeps who make up the “conservative” echo-chamber post-9/11. Especially in response to the fact that al Qaeda wasn’t even on Bush, Rice, Rumsfeld or Cheney’s radar – not even a little bit, when they came into office and blew off briefings that didn’t focus on their irrelevant fetishes like “missile defense” or reconfiguring our armed forces to make it more difficult to fight wars like Afghanistan or Iraq, for that matter.
There aren’t any blame-shifting crybabies quite the match of little GOPer crybabies.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Joe Lieberman just said hi to me at the airport…wheeee
October 6th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Gee Bob – events have a funny way of doing that. Sometimes it helps to take a long hard assessment of one’s assumptions before “events” simply take over and force your hand. Just a thought. But the question we should all be asking is, “What makes Obama think he could devise an appropriate strategy in Afghanistan when he can’t even put together a successful Olympics bid?” I’m looking forward to that Weekly Standard cover, which will demonstrate to us all the quality of contemporary conservative analysis.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:41 am
“events intervened”
I love that! That’s going to be my new blanket excuse, perfect for all occasions. “Honey, did you mow the lawn?” “I’m sorry, dear: events intervened.”
That definitely replaces “mistakes were made” and “a few bad apples” as the best description of the crowning achievements of the Bush years.
Here’s one more that my childhood friend used after throwing a stick at a car, when the driver screeched on his breaks and backed up to confront him:
“The stick flew out of my hand!”
Indeed it did!
October 6th, 2009 at 10:58 am
T he only problem with the screed, is that this is now Obama’s war. He pushed for it during the primary’s and election cycle, he took charge of it and now it is his.
Hope and same, regardless of what the progressives think.
October 6th, 2009 at 11:16 am
# Dan O Says:
October 6th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Joe Lieberman just said hi to me at the airport…wheeee
Did you notice someone close behind with an arm up his backside? He always struck me as a creepy life sized ventriliquist’s dummy.
Henry Gibson, bless him, could have played him.
October 6th, 2009 at 11:20 am
“Hope and same, regardless of what the progressives think.”
Not sure what that means.
October 6th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Dan O – As long as it wasn’t in the men’s room…
October 6th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
No, that’s for ol’ “Wide Stance” Larry.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Dig this:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/04/waitrose-fox-news-barack-obama
October 6th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Forget everything and dig this:
(Talk about yer fateful..)
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/143119/secret_plan_to_ditch_the_u.s._dollar's_dominance_uncovered/
October 6th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Split Comment – 1 of 2
reg, the isolated “blame Clinton” accusations came nowhere close to the constant “blame Bush” over-reactions and lies from the left.
And, if Bush is guilty “for ignoring warnings” (as though anyone predicted what the terrorists did), then JFK is equally guilty for his own death by ignoring threats against his life. Makes as much sense.
Maybe warnings don’t provide enough information or they require more time to analyze to set up a defense.
What about poor Ronald Reagan? Jimmy Carter left him an economy with double digit inflation, unemployment, and interest rates and terrorists holding our embassy staff hostage in Iran.
Obama is spending more time attacking the general he put in charge of Afghanistan than in consulting with him. He needs to quit pussy-footing around and get serious about major decisions.
The rush isn’t for a decision. The rush is to begin the work and discussions necessary for a decision.
And, when is Obama going keep his pledge and catch bin Laden, the guy who calls Obama “powerless.?”
October 6th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Split Comment – 2 of 2
Oh, and Obama is playing the blame game every time he throws someone under the bus, and the bus is getting pretty beat up from all those bodies under it.
Maybe Obama can shift the focus from Afghanistan after he screws up Cental America. He could make the “Reagan body count” there look like nothing.
How’s Iran’s nuclear bomb production coming along? Obama’s really showing muscle against them, isn’t he?
reg, you really must be embarrassed about Obama. I don’t blame you for not wanting to admit how bad a President he is.
Obama now has the whole country laughing at him.
October 6th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Link away, Woodman. You’re too stupid to bother with.
October 6th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Who’s stupid? Someone who has a Master’s Degree or someone who is dropout? You’re so envious.
October 6th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Ooooh! Woody, some of the stupidest people I’ve ever met have master’s degrees. You’re weak, dude.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
President “Bring Em On”, the Champaign Corp Chickenhawk sure left this country a hell of a mess.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
And, exactly who are you to judge, reg? Your main arguments consist of “you’re a dummy dumb-dumb.” Brilliant. Tell us about your honors and accolades that indicate some measure of success or intelligence on your part. That’s one comment that won’t be many words to read.
October 7th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Anna, an alternative view:
http://www.counterpunch.org/whitney10062009.html
October 7th, 2009 at 8:22 am
Woody – the funny thing is that I could make a fairly long list of “honors and accolades”, but I’m not going to bother on your account. Since you mostly just embarrass yourself in these comments, this discussion is moot.
October 7th, 2009 at 8:42 am
reg, you make yourself look dumber with each attack on me. You have nothing of substance and you’re nothing of substance. Yeah, a “long list.” Don’t you get tired of embarrassing yourself in an effort to attack people with other views? Yeah, the discussion is moot and, once again, you’re the loser.
October 7th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Re: # An Occasional Poster Says:
October 7th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Anna, an alternative view:
http://www.counterpunch.org/whitney10062009.html
OP, you are a day late and a dollar (ha ha) short. The thunder of denial as predicted.
Those rumblings of a huge shift in power and currency have been in the making for years. The manifestation of an actual event is now on the horizon.
What nap room have you been in that has had about every major global economic study say that China would soon be dominant.
Not to mention a compendium of horrors that have been leading up to the loss of our “Empire” as Chalmers Johnson puts it.
But these scenarios have been floating about just waiting to happen. Its nothing new.
What is interesting is to begin to see the hard news items surface that signal a real shift.
If you think this is just another cyclical down market time and soon all will be right with the might of the dollar and the US…there is an Ayslum being built just for people like you in Fresno.
I find it funny you spot a Counterpunch article to counter Robert Fisk. Now THAT is irony.
I just know that the core issue of how China has and will gain supremacy and how America’s dominance will collapse has been written about at length by many. Its just now how those wheels will be turned are revealing themselves.
We can only wait and watch. Lay in the popcorn.
October 7th, 2009 at 9:06 am
reg: Woody – the funny thing is that I could make a fairly long list of “honors and accolades”, but I’m not going to bother on your account.
In other words, “The dog ate my homework.”
October 7th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Marc, are you gettig naive about propaganda in your middle age? Obviously the memo leak was part of the PR preparation for Obama’s coming decision to send a bunch of additional troops. If McChrystal had let it out before the decision was made, he’d be driving a humvee in Iraq right now.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Anna, I learned a long time ago never try to argue with an hysterical women.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
OP: Your idiotic, chauvinist, anima ridden, closeted little spew at an attempt to twist a completely rational remark into something to fit your challenged point of view— also just makes you an asshole.
October 7th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Woody, “the dog ate your brain” is closer to what’s apparent in these threads. You really don’t think your ravings about having degrees in accounting of all things impresses anybody, do you ?
October 7th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Betsy McCaughey has a PhD and she’s either a clueless moron or a shameless liar. Her degree must stand for piled high and deep.
October 7th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Maybe Obama can shift the focus from Afghanistan after he screws up Cental America. He could make the “Reagan body count” there look like nothing.
For someone who routinely gives a virtual puñeta to Ronald Reagan, that comment is truly risible.
You have neither intellectual nor moral authority to comment on Central America.
October 7th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
reg, I haven’t “raved’ about my degrees and certification, but it sure beats being a loser dropout like yourself. At least I made some observations and points before you stepped in with your jeralous hysterics.
Excuse me while I go back to watch the Dodgers game, something that you fags don’t care about except to check out the style of the uniforms and to anticipate players patting each other on the fanny.
October 7th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Wow, being away from reading these threads for a few days just brings home how silly 98% of Woody’s remarks really are.
Just endless recitations of:
Dems = bad. Obama = bad.
Republicans = good. Bush = good.
Then bragging about a degree as if this has any bearing on anything. Now a “fag” is thrown in to see if he can chum the water.
I want to call all of it boring, but that’s way too generous. It’s just…I can’t even find the words…”childish?” Is that it? Cretinous? I don’t know….whatever.
October 7th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Dan O, maybe you overlooked reg arguing my points by calling me stupid, as though he had any claim to the upper hand. Don’t you get tired of his personal attacks, his cursing, and his lack of substance? Of course not. You do and are doing the same thing. It’s all that liberals have.
Nothing that I said about reg would have been necessary had he simply discussed the issues, but that was beyond his intelligence level. And, I didn’t “brag” about a degree. I simply mentioned that I had a couple and that he didn’t, as a measure of brains.
If you’re hiring someone for a high level job, do you go after a drop-out or someone who had the intelligence and persistence to get a degree? Oh, you’d hire a minority. I get it. Get in line behind reg.
October 7th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Dan O, come now, why would it be a surprise? It’s the way of the troll for as long as it’s been posting. “Liberals are__” is the only game it plays. Once a troll….
October 8th, 2009 at 3:37 am
Woody – the vanity that you are bringing “issues” as opposed to random, rightwing hectoring to these threads is rather remarkable. And you’re obviously profoundly insecure – nobody, but nobody, waves a “master’s degree” in people’s faces to somehow camouflage the fact that most of the reactions to one’s comments and link-mongering to one’s own echo chamber are some combination of “yawn” and “oh, no – not more of this crap!” And your assertions of your “intelligence” – when you persistently get called an idiot for peddling recycled, utterly predictable and often trivial screeds – would be more convincing, albeit tiresome, if you didn’t randomly bash minorities and condemn “fags.” Not the marks of a refined intellect. But then, no one familiar with your trolling expects better of you.
October 8th, 2009 at 10:03 am
reg, I didn’t “wave” anything. It’s just quite amazing that someone who dropped out of school says that he knows a lot of people with degrees who are stupid, as though he had any standing for such a claim, and then has the nerve to say that someone who does have a degree is insecure, when actually it is you. If you had a lick of sense, you would have made something of yourself.
October 8th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Dan O.
Woody IS the chum. And everyone takes the bait…the thread froths.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
You know, these discussions would be more productive if your responses to my comments were more intelligent and well-intended than just “you’re stupid” or “he’s a cracker.”
October 8th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Woody – don’t post the shit you persist in dragging into these threads and expect to be taken seriously. Nobody has ever posted more offensive shit than you. You accused me – many, many times – of being a child molester. And you gay and race-bait persistently. Your whining is ridiculous, hypocritical and childish. Stay out of the fucking kitchen with your E-coli commentary if you can’t stand the heat.