Archives for the 'Obama' Category
Afghanistan Syndrome
Published on 18 Oct 2009 at 10:55 am.
4 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, media.
It’s a long way from Stockholm.* Pretty much he other side of the world. NYT scribbler David Rohde, “inside the Emirate,” on what happened to him in extended Taliban captivity:
Miller Time
Published on 17 Oct 2009 at 3:50 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Obama, beer, bigotry, media.
Moving description of gross injustice and a wholesome expression of American values in the Wall Street Journal. It’s Rush Limbaugh, about the slanderous attacks and discriminatory treatment he faced when he tried to exercise his right as an American to engage in a lawful business venture. It would be fun to watch him sue the NFL, Sharpton, Jackson and his [...]
Hammer Wants An Anvil
Published on 17 Oct 2009 at 10:06 am.
5 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, Pakistan.
Paks, unintimidated by the past week’s attacks, have launched their assault on South Waziristan. NYT.
Meanwhile, still waiting to see whether Obama plans to wack the mole on his side of the board. The administration has denied a BBC report that Obama has told the Brits and the Afghans that he is planning to announce this week [...]
America’s Big Balloon Ride!
Published on 16 Oct 2009 at 9:44 am.
1 Comment.
Filed under Obama, pols.
It’s health care! All over the news, big and puffy, out of control, going nowhere, with no one on board! Except the kid in the cardboard box, and Balloon Dad …
Obama, via Politico: “You guys said we did this for the show.”
Pelosi, via WaPo: “Appalled!”
Could be bad if it actually hits any power lines. OK, blowing some [...]
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Hillary Up, Obama Down
Published on 15 Oct 2009 at 9:41 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Clintons, Obama.
Gallup reports that Hillary’s approval numbers, at 62 percent within five points of her 17-year polling peak, tops her boss by six. I guess that means she has successfully dodged any responsibility for kowtowing to Iran and Russia. The latest sops to China post-dated the Oct 1-4 polling period. So did Obama’s Nobel. Gallup surmises:
When She’s Right, She’s Right!
Published on 15 Oct 2009 at 8:19 am.
No Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, moronocy.
Arianna Huffington says Joe Biden should resign over Afghanistan. Agreed! The strategy he is carrying the torch for is moronic! Hang on, that’s not exactly how Huffington puts it. She wants him to fall on his sword as a matter of principle if Obama actually pays attention to his generals. First miscalculation, the notion that Biden is in any [...]
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Historic Suckupness, Poor Judgment
Published on 14 Oct 2009 at 11:01 am.
1 Comment.
Filed under Afghanistan, France, Obama, history.
Self-destructiveness and abandonment. History doesn’t repeat, they say, it rhymes. Badly, sure, and with poor meter. Free verse, if you like.
Guess who else went to Cairo and addressed a big historic suckup speech to the Islamic world, to no avail? Then, through ineptitude, lost the means of his own resupply, bungled the whole operation and saw the greater Islamic world turn [...]
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Obama’s War
Published on 12 Oct 2009 at 11:11 am.
7 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, media.
PBS’ Frontline is taking a look Tuesday night. An early cut of Act 1 is up at the link.
As basically a grunt’s eye view, on the ground with 2/8 Marines in Helmand, with a lot of about the difficulties of fighting a counterinsurgency. The Marine commander’s opening speech, the combat footage, the Marines’ living conditions and the interactions with locals [...]
Obama White House Breaks With Itself
Published on 12 Oct 2009 at 8:55 am.
2 Comments.
Filed under Obama.
Or throws itself under the bus, so to speak. Dismisses disgruntled gays as the ”Internet left fringe.” It’s a weird kind of ”what you say is what you are” moment for an admin born of the Internet’s left fringe. But it’s also the Obama admin entering a sort of double-reverse Clinton-Nixon phase. Think “noisy minority.” Think “small left-wing conspiracy.”
Internet left fringe is out [...]
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Structural Issues
Published on 11 Oct 2009 at 9:00 pm.
5 Comments.
Filed under Obama, media, moronocy.
White House Communications Director Anita Dunn whines that Fox acts as a “wing of the Republican Party.” No complaints about the rest of the White House Press Corps acting as a Democratic high-rise condo development, though. via Think Progress, your go-to place for skewed views on the news.
They’re widely viewed as, you know, a part of [...]
First, Want To Win
Published on 11 Oct 2009 at 10:05 am.
6 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, history.
Good point by Graham Bowley at NYT. You want to sell a war? Start to win. But he misses a key point.
Do Or Die
Published on 11 Oct 2009 at 9:13 am.
7 Comments.
Filed under Boston, Obama, baseball.
Red Sox down a deep post-season hole. Boston Herald: Been there, done that. Don’t much like the look of those Yanks, though, who stopped screwing up right around the time the Sox started this year.
Howie Carr: There’s only one thing that can save them. Put “O-bel” Prize winner Barack Obama on the mound. Is there [...]
What A Nobel Laureate!
Published on 10 Oct 2009 at 9:40 am.
3 Comments.
Filed under Obama, explosives, moronocy, shameless self-promotion.
It used to be one of the highest honors of the human race. Nobel Laureate. Much gravitas and profundity wrapped up in those words.*
OK, One More Thought
Published on 9 Oct 2009 at 12:01 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under Nazis, Obama, dummkopf!, history, moronocy.
About President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize. It would be one thing if it was those money-grubbing, Nazi-collaborating … excuse me, neutral … Swedes who had awarded it. Can’t expect them to know the true value of peace.
But the Norwegian Nobel Committee theoretically should be aware that peace and freedom do not grow on trees.
One Other Thought
Published on 9 Oct 2009 at 10:38 am.
7 Comments.
Filed under Obama, moronocy.
They popped it on a Friday, the traditional graveyard of embarrassing news.
Does that mean they hoped no one would notice that they just taped a big “Kick Me” sign on his behind? I bet these guys noticed:
Peace In Our Time
Published on 9 Oct 2009 at 6:37 am.
13 Comments.
Filed under Obama.
This takes a lot of the heat off. The big question is, who nominated him. Vladimir Putin, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Mullah Omar?
Then There’s The Iran Bit
Published on 8 Oct 2009 at 11:14 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Iran, Obama.
Lara Logan at CBS on the Iran-Taliban connection:
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Matched Set
Published on 8 Oct 2009 at 10:40 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under Obama, Russia, commies, media.
For some reason these articles make a good pair. One’s about Obama’s image. The other is about Stalin’s.
A Tale of Two Bureaus
Published on 8 Oct 2009 at 9:30 pm.
3 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, media.
Two cities, two theaters of war. It’s the remarkable difference illustrated by two news reports tonight from one news agency. The first, from Washington, describes the increasingly imaginary war theater that seems to exist in the collective mind of the Obama administration. It’s captured here by the AP’s Jennifer Loven:
“Bold And Modern White House”
Published on 7 Oct 2009 at 11:55 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under Bush, Obama, art.
Decorated with an ode to indecision. NYT arts section buries the lede and needs to work on it headlines. I guess it’s “Modern” but “Bold” isn’t working. ”Life Imitates Art” would do it.
Somehow I don’t think NYT would have missed the opportunity if George Bush had hung something like, I dunno, “The Scream.”
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Battle of the Books
Published on 7 Oct 2009 at 1:24 pm.
9 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, books, vietnam.
Literary quagmire! Looks like Obama’s hitting the books to figure out the best way to have his own Vietnam. Wall Street Journal:
Half-Pregnant
Published on 7 Oct 2009 at 10:00 am.
7 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, pols.
Obama rules out any big reduction in forces in Afghanistan but won’t say if he’s on board for the big win, as they used to say. NYT:
Wartime President Supported
Published on 6 Oct 2009 at 5:14 pm.
5 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, pols.
This hasn’t happened in what, nearly seven years now. I mean, not without a lot of kicking and screaming. Democrats say they’ll support a wartime president, with American troops in the field, and vital national and global security interests at stake. OK, that’s not exactly how AP put it.
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Consulter In Chief
Published on 6 Oct 2009 at 10:18 am.
7 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, pols.
The president is bringing in Congressional leaders, both parties, to talk about Afghanistan this afternoon. In the long, slow march to deciding whether to fight or not, it’s a key moment which may provide important clues about which way he’s leaning or whether, as has been the case with other major agenda items, he intends to let [...]
Strategic Reassurance
Published on 6 Oct 2009 at 9:31 am.
5 Comments.
Filed under China, Obama.
It’s the latest revolutionary new geopolitical concept. The Obama administration’s, or more specifically, the Clinton State Department’s, theory for constructive engagement with the People’s Republic of China.
It got a passing reference in a UK Telegraph article yesterday about the Obama admin throwing the Dalai Lama under the bus. But it’s more complex and comprehensive than just [...]
Mr. President’s Busy Busy Day
Published on 5 Oct 2009 at 11:19 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under Obama, moronocy.
The thoughtful, mildly exasperated, handwringiness of this Yglesias post is as special as one of Mr. Rogers’ cardigans. It’s about why Obama hasn’t been able to meet with his war-time commander, except to chew him out on the tarmac at Copenhagen after O’s whirlwind round of IOC cocktail parties:
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Chaos-istan
Published on 5 Oct 2009 at 9:51 am.
18 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, military.
On the Potomac. It’s the kind of thing political and military debacles are made of. UK Telegraph reports the president is PO’d at Gen. Stanley McChrystal over the London speech:
Going For The Gold!
Published on 3 Oct 2009 at 9:30 am.
6 Comments.
Filed under Obama, Olympics.
Some truly Olympian performances in the reactions to President Barack Obama’s unsuccessful expenditure of political capital in Copenhagen. And the gold goes to …
Rumors Of Anti-War …
Published on 2 Oct 2009 at 8:22 am.
1 Comment.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, pols.
Coming in from various quarters. There’s backroom manuevering. Talk of retreat. Surrenderists ascendant?
Good news first. Obama’s actually met with his Afghan War commander. He managed to squeeze in a meeting with McChrystal on the tarmac at Copenhagen, while nursing his IOC hangover. USA Today:
In Crazy American Dictatorship Prediction News
Published on 30 Sep 2009 at 9:48 pm.
4 Comments.
Filed under Obama, moronocy.
Gore Vidal, who at 83 is even crazier and crankier than I remember him,* tells the Times of London:
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Jaw Jaw
Published on 30 Sep 2009 at 8:38 am.
4 Comments.
Filed under Iran, Obama.
No shortage of it with Iran over the past 30 years, as detailed by Ledeen at the Wall Street Journal. Talk talk talk. Carter, Reagan, Clinton, even George W. Bush … who modern myth holds didn’t … talk talk talk. Talk and sanctions. And as Ledeen notes, channeling SecDef Gates, it’s never worked. He suggests something that might work. He [...]
Obama’s Olympic-Sized Gamble
Published on 29 Sep 2009 at 9:59 pm.
5 Comments.
Filed under Obama, Olympics.
He’s being mocked as “head of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce” for the Copenhagen junket to pitch Chicago for the 2016 Olympics. Kristol at the Weekly Standard bets he’ll get some real work in, with a surprise visit to Afghanistan. Good idea … Afghanistan is just one of the increasingly serious problems he’s facing.
But the Olympics [...]
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It’s “Gloves Off”
Published on 29 Sep 2009 at 11:57 am.
2 Comments.
Filed under Obama, Olympics.
In the Obama 2016 Olympic bid! Michelle, via Reuters, “gloves are off!” via CNN, “It’s a battle — we’re going to win — take no prisoners!” I guess that means all opposing bidders are about to learn they’re partisan racist hater naysayers who offer no alternative.
You go, Michelle. It’s the Chicago way, from the cops to the crims, and [...]
Obamlet
Published on 28 Sep 2009 at 10:49 am.
6 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama.
To troop up or not to troop up: that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?
Excuse me, just flipping through some Shakespeare and mulling the news, or lack of it, this [...]
Gates
Published on 27 Sep 2009 at 8:26 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under Obama, pols.
Very much enjoys working for Obama. Or maybe, he prefers it to not working for him. Which might be a good thing, considering …
So when it comes to Afghanistan, is Gates sucking up or standing up? Kicking off the Gates news with a Cabinet member’s obligatory suckup, here he is at CNN:
The Ugly American
Published on 27 Sep 2009 at 8:12 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under America, Obama.
Bruce Walker at The American Thinker basically tells Obama: What you say is what you are.
Partner For Peace!
Published on 27 Sep 2009 at 11:22 am.
3 Comments.
Filed under Iran, Obama.
Test fires short-range missiles, with a long-range missile test in the offing! Nothing says “We’re scared of santions” like an idle Sunday afternoon’s rocketry. Wall Street Journal on the latest show of ballistic goodwill by the mullah regime, which apparently was greatly impressed by President Obama’s threat that he’s really serious now. Speaking of which, NYT: US to [...]
McClellan On The Hindu Kush
Published on 27 Sep 2009 at 11:15 am.
1 Comment.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, military.
They were almost right about the Obama-Lincoln analogies. Turns out he’s not Lincolnescque. Just Lincoln proximate.*
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About That Iran Business
Published on 26 Sep 2009 at 9:17 am.
8 Comments.
Filed under Iran, Obama.
Here’s a little behind the scenes from Politico on Obama’s Iranian panic moment the other day, “Obama’s Unplanned Iran News.” I guess we can set aside that Bush-Lied NIE myth that the Iranians stopped their nuke program in 2004. Looks like, considering at what had just happened to Iraq, they decided the best expedient was essentially to build [...]
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Truth Hertz Donut
Published on 23 Sep 2009 at 10:10 am.
4 Comments.
Filed under America, Obama, UN.
Today’s bitter breakfast compliments of Nile Gardiner, UK Telegraph, The UN loves Barack Obama because he is weak:
The Biden Plan
Published on 23 Sep 2009 at 12:19 am.
4 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama.
NYT:
WASHINGTON — President Obama is exploring alternatives to a major troop increase in Afghanistan, including a plan advocated by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to scale back American forces and focus more on rooting out Al Qaeda there and in Pakistan, officials said Tuesday.
Sorry, I got nothing.
Well, there’s this:
In Which Obama Has A General Problem, Just Like A Real President*
Published on 22 Sep 2009 at 9:17 am.
6 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, history, military.
Roggio at Long War points to and discusses a McClatchy report that McChrystal is ready to resign if not given the resources to prosecute the war in Afghanistan.
I’m going to guess Obama and Emanuel are not going to take kindly to being pressured, but it puts them in a spot.
Read ‘In Which Obama Has A General Problem, Just Like A Real President*’
Post-Racial Yuks
Published on 22 Sep 2009 at 8:20 am.
No Comments.
Filed under Obama, racism.
I appreciate the homespun humor. CBS, “Obama tells Letterman: I Was Black Before The Election.” Maybe it’s even enough to put a lid on the rampant race-baiting and opposition-smearing that started with a gutter comedian, worked its way through the press gallery and the back benches of Congress, and reached as high as a former president of the [...]
Surrenderists Gird For Defeat
Published on 21 Sep 2009 at 11:12 pm.
8 Comments.
Filed under Obama.
Biden: GOP wins would be “End of the Road.” The Hill:
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To Look Good Or To Feel Good?
Published on 21 Sep 2009 at 8:05 am.
3 Comments.
Filed under Afghanistan, Obama, military.
It’s a Lamasian dilemma* for Obama. Washington Post reports the top general in Afghanistan is sticking it to him. More troops or mission failure:
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Don’t Forget Deval!
Published on 20 Sep 2009 at 10:12 am.
3 Comments.
Filed under Obama, pols.
The President of the United States pokes his nose into New York politics, urges Gov. David Paterson to back out of the race due to his dismal poll numbers. NYT:
Man-Caused Shoe Disasterist No Longer Oppressed
Published on 20 Sep 2009 at 8:21 am.
5 Comments.
Filed under Obama, al qaeda, terrorists.
In a move sure to promote better-likedness, the Justice Department has removed special restrictions from Shoe Bomber Richard Reid. Boston Herald:
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In Which Obama Takes My Advice …
Published on 19 Sep 2009 at 10:36 am.
1 Comment.
Filed under Obama, racism.
Again, half-assedly. Obama says its fear of big government, not racism, that fuels the opposition. Thanks, Mr. President. He gets points for clarity of thought and something like honesty that bucks his party’s prevalent views. Points off for the gutlessness. They had to drag the half-hearted dismissal of the race card out of him in interviews, [...]
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May The Forced Be With You
Published on 18 Sep 2009 at 7:59 am.
1 Comment.
Filed under Obama.
Hurtful cruelty by Jim Treacher. As a goofy, embarrassing dad of teens, I have no comment on this.
Read ‘May The Forced Be With You’
Not Better Liked
Published on 17 Sep 2009 at 11:04 pm.
3 Comments.
Filed under Obama.
Polish P.M. declines to take calls from the President of the United States and the Secretary of State after they throw him under a Russian bus. Politico. The story is that he felt like he needed a little time to prepare when Obama called … sounds like maybe he was too P.O.’d and needed to [...]
