Obama has come out with another weird take on foreign policy. He asked the rhetorical question of whether the American people want a president who opposed the Iraq war from the start (Obama's position), or one who only started opposing it after running for president (Hillary's take).
How about...neither?
I sigh when I hear Obama trot out the same old line, that he will make a good President because he's "against the war." He think the polls back him up on this, but he's wrong.
It's a rare event, but when you see it, you'll know what it is: a poll that asks American citizens if the war is going well. Guess what? Low numbers. Then another question, seldom given screentime, from the same poll: should American troops be removed from Iraq? Low numbers.
Many Americans do not detest the war itself, but the way that it is being fought. They want a more aggressive campaign, with results to show for it. Now that the number of terrorist attacks in Iraq have been chopped in half since this same time last year, the polls are swinging in a more optimistic direction (and the headlines have dried up; not enough American blood being spilled). This is not a fluke.
Just once I'd like to hear Obama say what he is for, not what he is against. If you're against the war and want to bring the troops home next February, okay, but what are you going to do after that? I suppose you could start writing letters of apology to all of the Iraqi people that get massacred after the American exit. If so, I hope you have a lot of ink. Make it purple, and call it a symbolic gesture.
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Hillary Still Alive - Media Bummed
I woke up this morning expecting to see Obama's face on the front pages: no more need of "hope," just all smiles after an easy victory in the latest slog of primaries.Not to be. Hillary took Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island, while Vermont went to Obama.
It looks like she's going to stick around, and the press couldn't be more bummed about it. All week I've been hearing their veiled "Hillary's toast" prophesies, and how she had to at least win Texas and Ohio in order to keep her own audacity of hope alive. Then she went them one better, by winning Rhode Island, and this is what you get:
Newsweek: HIllary's Math Problem - Forget Tonight: She Could Win 16 Straight and Still Lose.
Ron Fournier (AP): Consider that a shot across the bow to the Clinton campaign because Brazile — like many other superdelegates — worries that Clinton's only hope for victory is tearing down Obama and dividing the party. Party chairman Howard Dean recently told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he was concerned about the possible impact of a nominating campaign that stretched through the end of the primaries in early June.
Some superdelegates are bracing themselves to intervene on Obama's behalf if necessary.
Patrick Healy (New York Times): Those two states were the battlegrounds where Mr. Obama was going to bury the last opponent to his history-making nomination, finally delivering on his message of hope while dashing the hopes of a Clinton presidential dynasty.
(I take it he means "history making nomination" because Obama is a junior Senator from Illinois. Hillary being the first woman and former First Lady nominated for President wouldn't be history making in the least.)
Nedra Pickler (AP): But even if she wins every contest left, Clinton still would have a hard time overcoming Barack Obama's pledged delegate lead. In fact, her task got even harder because even though she won Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island Tuesday night, she didn't do much to close the delegate gap - and with every contest that passes, the number up for grabs drops.
The past week has been an interesting shell game. One moment Hillary must win in order to stay alive, the next she's a winner but it doesn't make a bit of difference.
Ron Fournier's comment is the most revealing. Here I thought it was the Republican party that needs to be united with a cool balm of handshakes and atta-boys. Turns out, the Democratic party is the one with a division problem, as their own chairman gets concerned about a pesky Hillary and some Superdelegates prepare to intervene on Obama's behalf.
In other words, a backroom hit job.
Should be fun days ahead.
Photo: The Telegraph
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Shiver Me Timbers
California lawmakers have passed a bill making it mandatory that global warming be taught in the classroom. The bill is heading to the state assembly, where it will presumably pass. If the Governator signs the bill, then California will be producing enviro-boobs at an even greater pace than it already is.
No surprise. California is always on the cutting edge of stupidity.
As for me, I'm with my geophysicist buddy: "We're in a very long historical curve here," he said over a pint of beer. For a moment I thought he was talking about our binge drinking, but no, he was discussing climate change. If anyone would know about the earth and all the myriad ways it can rise up and kill us, it's this guy.
"The Earth warms and cools," he added. "Always has. These people are morons." Then, to prove his brilliance, he asked a very important question: "Another beer?"
Here's a great line from the National Academy of Sciences report entitled "Climate Change is Real."
"There is now strong evidence that significant global warming is occurring. . . . It is likely that most of the warming in recent decades can be attributed to human activities. This warming has already led to changes in the Earth's climate."
First, if you have to head something, "Climate Change is Real," there's a good chance it isn't. The NAS sound like those guys that froth at the mouth when you say wrestling isn't a real sport.
Second, who says climate change isn't real? There's winter, summer, fall, spring. Lots of change. Why, just the other day, the temperature went from -10C to 0C in no time at all. Then it rained and, in a nice change, the temperature fell, the roads turned to ice, and I almost went into a ditch. That morning, my life was like a Barack Obama campaign: preaching for change while living the audacity of hope.
I want one of these global warming boneheads to come over to my place and start my car in the morning. I've been freezing my ass off for three months, firing up the car, and sitting in it for ten minutes to turn the man-made sludge into man-made oil. While my hands freeze on the wheel and the transmission sticks on the way from second to third, I could use a little warming in my life. Let's start by setting fire to all the copies of "Climate Change is Real."
No surprise. California is always on the cutting edge of stupidity.
As for me, I'm with my geophysicist buddy: "We're in a very long historical curve here," he said over a pint of beer. For a moment I thought he was talking about our binge drinking, but no, he was discussing climate change. If anyone would know about the earth and all the myriad ways it can rise up and kill us, it's this guy.
"The Earth warms and cools," he added. "Always has. These people are morons." Then, to prove his brilliance, he asked a very important question: "Another beer?"
Here's a great line from the National Academy of Sciences report entitled "Climate Change is Real."
"There is now strong evidence that significant global warming is occurring. . . . It is likely that most of the warming in recent decades can be attributed to human activities. This warming has already led to changes in the Earth's climate."
First, if you have to head something, "Climate Change is Real," there's a good chance it isn't. The NAS sound like those guys that froth at the mouth when you say wrestling isn't a real sport.
Second, who says climate change isn't real? There's winter, summer, fall, spring. Lots of change. Why, just the other day, the temperature went from -10C to 0C in no time at all. Then it rained and, in a nice change, the temperature fell, the roads turned to ice, and I almost went into a ditch. That morning, my life was like a Barack Obama campaign: preaching for change while living the audacity of hope.
I want one of these global warming boneheads to come over to my place and start my car in the morning. I've been freezing my ass off for three months, firing up the car, and sitting in it for ten minutes to turn the man-made sludge into man-made oil. While my hands freeze on the wheel and the transmission sticks on the way from second to third, I could use a little warming in my life. Let's start by setting fire to all the copies of "Climate Change is Real."
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Hillary for President
How's that for throwing my friends out of their chairs?
Hillary for President? Berry's finally hit the crack pipe and no rehab in the world can straighten him out.
Not quite. I'm a Canadian, so it doesn't matter a damn what I think. Still, I'm watching the Super Tuesday primaries right now, and I'm struck by a few thoughts.
1) If a Republican wins it will be a miracle. The coverage given to the Democratic candidates (Clinton and Obama) is about ten times that of the Republicans. In this election, without an incumbent with the bully pulpit of the presidency, the Republican candidates are going to be hard pressed to deliver a message. The press have decided that McCain is a Republican left-winger, and that Huckabee is an evangelical weirdo. Those views will remain the same all the way into November, no matter how many speeches they give, meaning McCain is the man. As for Romney, forget it. Good-looking guys that run for President are supposed to be Democrats, and the press will never allow him to go against type. They've given him no air time, and his results show it.
All in all, it's a shame about Huckabee: he's the best speaker from both parties, and his ex-disc jockey skills come in handy on the stump. Believe it or not, the man can actually tell a decent joke.
2) Obama and Clinton are the story of this election cycle, and not merely because the press vote 90% Democratic. Race and gender are facing off in a country that once had slaves and didn't allow women to vote. To ignore that this primary cycle could be historical would be silly.
3) I am beginning to wonder when the hit-jobs on Obama and Clinton will come. So far, the press have been content to hammer Hillary because of her husband, but haven't hammered her directly for anything in her own past (or lack of it; before becoming a NY Senator, her public service was an outsider's disastrous attempt at health care reform).
I am betting that they hit Hillary pretty hard in the coming month, at least until a clear front runner is decided. If she becomes the Democratic candidate, they will handle her with kid gloves from then on and throttle McCain. If the press wanted to go after Obama, they would have done it already, about his naive views on foreign policy, his affiliation with a racist church, his drug use, and his bobbing and weaving regarding his childhood upbringing (though he did say that being a kid in Indonesia has helped him prepare for foreign policy; cool! That should make me a shoo-in as Prime Minister).
4) McCain, like Obama, gives me unsettling thoughts about seeing him in the White House. The press adore his candor, but what is he being candid about? His biggest fight in the last few years has been campaign finance reform. And, with due respect, who the hell cares about that? When he speaks he attempts humor and comes off as sarcastic. He constantly talks about his war hero status from forty years ago, but that was forty years ago. Which reminds me, the man is damned old, and I'm not sure if he's not a little nuts. Plus, his speaking voice sucks.
So why do I say Hillary? Because she's a known value. Obama talks about change, change, change, but never says exactly what this change is going to be. Free money for everybody? Ice cream on every street corner? The man's commentary regarding world terrorism could fit into a sock. He has said that he will hold discussions with any dictator that asks for a Presidential chat, and he brags about not voting for the Iraq war. But notice this: he never says what he would have done instead. Everybody and their mother thought Saddam had WMD, and the UN security council voted to punish him for it. So what would Obama's answer have been, beyond a "no" vote? I would like to hear an answer to that question, but it's a question that will never be asked.
Hillary is unashamedly a bitch. She can fight dirty, and she probably likes it that way. She may have ripped people off in a land deal years ago, and if she didn't, she probably wishes that she had. She's tried the tear-jerky stuff a couple of times, and then canned it, because it isn't her. I get the feeling that the Hillary Clinton you see is the Hillary Clinton you get. You know you can't trust her, and that's okay. To paraphrase an old line, I can handle my enemies. God save me from my friends.
I can live with a distrustful Hillary more than I can live with a man that talks in riddles about "change" and "hope" but doesn't have a concrete word to say about virtually anything.
As for the rest of the world, they'll be lining up to kiss Hillary or Barack's ass. Me, I don't think the US needs to care about other countries "respecting them again," but if they think it's so important, I've got news for them: everybody's always hated the States, and they always will. When I was a kid, I remember reading a Canadian newspaper article called, "Why You Should Hate America." So is this the return that you're looking for?
Unless McCain makes major headway in the next half-year, I predict a Democratic president, and a Republican Congress to keep her in check.
Hillary for President? Berry's finally hit the crack pipe and no rehab in the world can straighten him out.
Not quite. I'm a Canadian, so it doesn't matter a damn what I think. Still, I'm watching the Super Tuesday primaries right now, and I'm struck by a few thoughts.
1) If a Republican wins it will be a miracle. The coverage given to the Democratic candidates (Clinton and Obama) is about ten times that of the Republicans. In this election, without an incumbent with the bully pulpit of the presidency, the Republican candidates are going to be hard pressed to deliver a message. The press have decided that McCain is a Republican left-winger, and that Huckabee is an evangelical weirdo. Those views will remain the same all the way into November, no matter how many speeches they give, meaning McCain is the man. As for Romney, forget it. Good-looking guys that run for President are supposed to be Democrats, and the press will never allow him to go against type. They've given him no air time, and his results show it.All in all, it's a shame about Huckabee: he's the best speaker from both parties, and his ex-disc jockey skills come in handy on the stump. Believe it or not, the man can actually tell a decent joke.
2) Obama and Clinton are the story of this election cycle, and not merely because the press vote 90% Democratic. Race and gender are facing off in a country that once had slaves and didn't allow women to vote. To ignore that this primary cycle could be historical would be silly.
3) I am beginning to wonder when the hit-jobs on Obama and Clinton will come. So far, the press have been content to hammer Hillary because of her husband, but haven't hammered her directly for anything in her own past (or lack of it; before becoming a NY Senator, her public service was an outsider's disastrous attempt at health care reform).
I am betting that they hit Hillary pretty hard in the coming month, at least until a clear front runner is decided. If she becomes the Democratic candidate, they will handle her with kid gloves from then on and throttle McCain. If the press wanted to go after Obama, they would have done it already, about his naive views on foreign policy, his affiliation with a racist church, his drug use, and his bobbing and weaving regarding his childhood upbringing (though he did say that being a kid in Indonesia has helped him prepare for foreign policy; cool! That should make me a shoo-in as Prime Minister).4) McCain, like Obama, gives me unsettling thoughts about seeing him in the White House. The press adore his candor, but what is he being candid about? His biggest fight in the last few years has been campaign finance reform. And, with due respect, who the hell cares about that? When he speaks he attempts humor and comes off as sarcastic. He constantly talks about his war hero status from forty years ago, but that was forty years ago. Which reminds me, the man is damned old, and I'm not sure if he's not a little nuts. Plus, his speaking voice sucks.
So why do I say Hillary? Because she's a known value. Obama talks about change, change, change, but never says exactly what this change is going to be. Free money for everybody? Ice cream on every street corner? The man's commentary regarding world terrorism could fit into a sock. He has said that he will hold discussions with any dictator that asks for a Presidential chat, and he brags about not voting for the Iraq war. But notice this: he never says what he would have done instead. Everybody and their mother thought Saddam had WMD, and the UN security council voted to punish him for it. So what would Obama's answer have been, beyond a "no" vote? I would like to hear an answer to that question, but it's a question that will never be asked.Hillary is unashamedly a bitch. She can fight dirty, and she probably likes it that way. She may have ripped people off in a land deal years ago, and if she didn't, she probably wishes that she had. She's tried the tear-jerky stuff a couple of times, and then canned it, because it isn't her. I get the feeling that the Hillary Clinton you see is the Hillary Clinton you get. You know you can't trust her, and that's okay. To paraphrase an old line, I can handle my enemies. God save me from my friends.
I can live with a distrustful Hillary more than I can live with a man that talks in riddles about "change" and "hope" but doesn't have a concrete word to say about virtually anything.As for the rest of the world, they'll be lining up to kiss Hillary or Barack's ass. Me, I don't think the US needs to care about other countries "respecting them again," but if they think it's so important, I've got news for them: everybody's always hated the States, and they always will. When I was a kid, I remember reading a Canadian newspaper article called, "Why You Should Hate America." So is this the return that you're looking for?
Unless McCain makes major headway in the next half-year, I predict a Democratic president, and a Republican Congress to keep her in check.
Monday, January 28, 2008
State of the Union
What union?
At least, that's the thought that comes to mind when listening to the US press. According to them, it's dissension all the time. Business as usual.
Still it has been an enlightening couple of weeks in the American presidential race. I've been silent on it not because I don't care, but because I'm waiting to see how things shake out. Talking about Romney, or Clinton, or Obama, or whoever the hell just seems like a waste of time. You could write fifty pieces about Obama, only to find out that he doesn't get on the ticket. Imagine writing fifty pieces about Tsongas when he was fighting for the ticket against Clinton. Depressing.
Still, it has been fun to watch Bill and Hill find out that they are no longer the cat's ass in the Democratic party. Bill should have gone into a real retirement and just banged NY broads while his wife was busy in Washington. Now he's managed to make her chances for the presidency seem more remote by the day. Bill has to learn to shut his mouth. If she blows this race, she'll be around the house all the time and he won't get a chance to ply his Slick Willy trade.
Obama's all grins, as he should be. The Clintons are old news and now the junior Senator is the man of the hour. I'd be wary if I were him. His is a party of dysfunctional weirdos, and at any moment they could stop taking their meds and stab him in the back.
Obama's joy is interesting. He's been lauded by Senator Ted Kennedy as a great man for "change" and all the rest of the hocus pocus Kennedy tripe. Apparently Obama thinks that a fat cokehead who left a woman to die in a channel is just the kind of guy you need to endorse you as a presidential hopeful.
Kennedy gave a speech and said of Obama, "From the beginning, he opposed the war in Iraq. And let no one deny that truth!" All right, so the guy's a pussy. Big deal.
Kennedy went on to say, "With Barack Obama we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay."
I'm guessing the old fool is kidding, or senile, or just impervious to irony. News for you, Teddy: you're the old politics. You've been a Senator for decades, and you ran for president in the 1970's. So what you're essentially saying is, "I'm a bigot and a sexist. Good thing Obama's here to straighten out all the people that I've royally screwed over."
Naturally Kennedy trotted out the memory of JFK and applied it to Obama. Anytime a Democrat under the age of 60 runs for anything, the Democrats lionize Kennedy.
Ah, yes, JFK the progressive peacenik. He invaded Cuba, considered nuking Russia, put over 16 000 "advisers" into Vietnam, and didn't do a damn thing for civil rights (Hillary, though scorned, is correct: Johnson was the civil rights president). Yes sir, Kennedy was all about progressive change. Now he's being compared to Barack Obama, a man that said "of course" he would have private talks with any dictators that wanted to have a nice chat.
It's going to be a fun few months, watching these political junkies fight for the right to be treated like garbage for the next four years. Then again, some of them might deserve it.
Photos: AP/Yahoo News
At least, that's the thought that comes to mind when listening to the US press. According to them, it's dissension all the time. Business as usual.
Still it has been an enlightening couple of weeks in the American presidential race. I've been silent on it not because I don't care, but because I'm waiting to see how things shake out. Talking about Romney, or Clinton, or Obama, or whoever the hell just seems like a waste of time. You could write fifty pieces about Obama, only to find out that he doesn't get on the ticket. Imagine writing fifty pieces about Tsongas when he was fighting for the ticket against Clinton. Depressing.
Still, it has been fun to watch Bill and Hill find out that they are no longer the cat's ass in the Democratic party. Bill should have gone into a real retirement and just banged NY broads while his wife was busy in Washington. Now he's managed to make her chances for the presidency seem more remote by the day. Bill has to learn to shut his mouth. If she blows this race, she'll be around the house all the time and he won't get a chance to ply his Slick Willy trade.Obama's all grins, as he should be. The Clintons are old news and now the junior Senator is the man of the hour. I'd be wary if I were him. His is a party of dysfunctional weirdos, and at any moment they could stop taking their meds and stab him in the back.
Obama's joy is interesting. He's been lauded by Senator Ted Kennedy as a great man for "change" and all the rest of the hocus pocus Kennedy tripe. Apparently Obama thinks that a fat cokehead who left a woman to die in a channel is just the kind of guy you need to endorse you as a presidential hopeful.
Kennedy gave a speech and said of Obama, "From the beginning, he opposed the war in Iraq. And let no one deny that truth!" All right, so the guy's a pussy. Big deal.
Kennedy went on to say, "With Barack Obama we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay."
I'm guessing the old fool is kidding, or senile, or just impervious to irony. News for you, Teddy: you're the old politics. You've been a Senator for decades, and you ran for president in the 1970's. So what you're essentially saying is, "I'm a bigot and a sexist. Good thing Obama's here to straighten out all the people that I've royally screwed over."
Naturally Kennedy trotted out the memory of JFK and applied it to Obama. Anytime a Democrat under the age of 60 runs for anything, the Democrats lionize Kennedy.Ah, yes, JFK the progressive peacenik. He invaded Cuba, considered nuking Russia, put over 16 000 "advisers" into Vietnam, and didn't do a damn thing for civil rights (Hillary, though scorned, is correct: Johnson was the civil rights president). Yes sir, Kennedy was all about progressive change. Now he's being compared to Barack Obama, a man that said "of course" he would have private talks with any dictators that wanted to have a nice chat.
It's going to be a fun few months, watching these political junkies fight for the right to be treated like garbage for the next four years. Then again, some of them might deserve it.
Photos: AP/Yahoo News
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Bama-Bama-Bama-Bama-Bama Chameleon
He comes and goes, from state to state, but Barack Obama still hasn't told us what change he is going to change when he changes from a junior Senator into a President.
No matter. It's doubtful the media will ask him about his change revolution. Maybe he's talking about boxer shorts or socks. Maybe he's going to change his hairdo. Maybe he needs change for a twenty.
Spare Some Change?
If you thought the news guys are hot to crack the case of change, you'd be wrong. Here's NBC anchor Brian Williams on reporters covering Obama. You may remember Williams as the guy from a couple of months back who said that Mother Earth is the person of the year because she is an abused woman.
"Journo Love for Obama
NBC's Brian Williams took to MSNBC today at noon and had this to say:
WILLIAMS: I interviewed Lee Cowan, our reporter who covers Obama, while we were out yesterday and posted the interview on the web. Lee says it's hard to stay objective covering this guy. Courageous for Lee to say, to be honest. The e-mail flood started out we caught you guys, we never did trust you. That kind of thing. I think it is a very interesting dynamic. I saw middle-aged women just throw their arms around Barack Obama, kiss him hard on the cheek and say, you know, I'm with you, good luck. And i think he feels it, too." --Mediabistro.com
Courageous? Not quite. A professional news anchor should not find bias "an interesting dynamic."
Here's what I had to say about change a while back.
No matter. It's doubtful the media will ask him about his change revolution. Maybe he's talking about boxer shorts or socks. Maybe he's going to change his hairdo. Maybe he needs change for a twenty.
Spare Some Change?
If you thought the news guys are hot to crack the case of change, you'd be wrong. Here's NBC anchor Brian Williams on reporters covering Obama. You may remember Williams as the guy from a couple of months back who said that Mother Earth is the person of the year because she is an abused woman."Journo Love for Obama
NBC's Brian Williams took to MSNBC today at noon and had this to say:
WILLIAMS: I interviewed Lee Cowan, our reporter who covers Obama, while we were out yesterday and posted the interview on the web. Lee says it's hard to stay objective covering this guy. Courageous for Lee to say, to be honest. The e-mail flood started out we caught you guys, we never did trust you. That kind of thing. I think it is a very interesting dynamic. I saw middle-aged women just throw their arms around Barack Obama, kiss him hard on the cheek and say, you know, I'm with you, good luck. And i think he feels it, too." --Mediabistro.com
Courageous? Not quite. A professional news anchor should not find bias "an interesting dynamic."
Here's what I had to say about change a while back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)