Loading ...
7/31/2008
The press can be a fickle ally. After months of fawning coverage, at least one member of the press is beginning to find the presumptive presumptuous democratic nominee grating. Dana Milbank has published a scathing piece criticizing Obama and his presumptuousness.
…Along the way, he traveled in a bubble more insulating than the actual president’s. Traffic was shut down for him as he zoomed about town in a long, presidential-style motorcade, while the public and most of the press were kept in the dark about his activities, which included a fundraiser at the Mayflower where donors paid $10,000 or more to have photos taken with him. His schedule for the day, announced Monday night, would have made Dick Cheney envious:
11:00 a.m.: En route TBA.
12:05 p.m.: En route TBA.
1:45 p.m.: En route TBA.
2:55 p.m.: En route TBA.
5:20 p.m.: En route TBA.
The 5:20 TBA turned out to be his adoration session with lawmakers in the Cannon Caucus Room, where even committee chairmen arrived early, as if for the State of the Union. Capitol Police cleared the halls — just as they do for the actual president. The Secret Service hustled him in through a side door — just as they do for the actual president.
Inside, according to a witness, he told the House members, “This is the moment . . . that the world is waiting for,” adding: “I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions.”
As he marches toward Inauguration Day (Election Day is but a milestone on that path), Obama’s biggest challenger may not be Republican John McCain but rather his own hubris.
[...] [...] [...]
…Another reason for Obama’s confidence — the press — is also an unfaithful partner. The Project for Excellence in Journalism reported yesterday that Obama dominated the news media’s attention for a seventh straight week. But there are signs that the Obama campaign’s arrogance has begun to anger reporters.
In the latest issue of the New Republic, Gabriel Sherman found reporters complaining that Obama’s campaign was “acting like the Prom Queen” and being more secretive than Bush. The magazine quoted the New York Times’ Adam Nagourney’s reaction to the Obama campaign’s memo attacking one of his stories: “I’ve never had an experience like this, with this campaign or others.” Then came Obama’s overseas trip and the campaign’s selection of which news organizations could come aboard. Among those excluded: the New Yorker magazine, which had just published a satirical cover about Obama that offended the campaign.
Welcome to the party Dana. Many of us have been saying for quite a while that Obama is presumptuous, elitist, and quite frankly narcissistic.
Tags: Election 08, Media, Obama, Politics7/30/2008
In one of the most naked examples of media bias in a long time, the WaPo has published an article attacking the McCain campaign for criticizing Obama for skipping a visit with wounded troops in Germany. Keep in mind that this is supposed to be a newsarticle, not an opinion piece. They also falsely accuse the McCain campaign of questioning Obama’s patriotism. The McCain campaign has done no such thing. They have simply pointed out that Obama made a decision to not visit wounded troops after arrangements had been made for him to do so, and that according to published accounts, that decision was based on the fact that Obama couldn’t bring the press with him.
As far as the line in the advertisement about McCain putting the country first; remember that all of this comes on the heels of Obama giving a major campaign address to Europeans, not Americans. An American candidate for President of the United States giving a major campaign address to a population who can’t vote in our election is unprecedented. Giving this address to Europe – in my opinion — is extremely foolish. It paints Obama as an elitist who is willing to put “the world’s” interests ahead of the interests of the United States.
I suppose it’s possible that — as the WaPo suggests — Obama cancelled the trip because he couldn’t bring one of his foreign policy advisers with him on the visit. But, the question still remains why didn’t he leave the advisor and the rest of his campaign staff back at the airport with the press if the visit was important? He could have taken his Senate staff with him. And, in the end, the only thing anyone will remember is that Obama didn’t visit wounded soldiers when arrangements had been made for him to do so. When it was all said and done, he phoned it in.
This media love affair with Obama is getting really old really quick… From Chris Matthews’ tingly feeling running up his leg, to the disgusting love affair that the network anchors have with Obama, to the love fest at the UNITY convention last Sunday the 27th.
Tags: Election 08, Europe, McCain, Media Bias, Obama, Politics7/29/2008
Last night, I alluded to the fact that Obama had left key historical context out of his unity speech in Berlin. He spoke in grand terms about the world coming together to supply Berlin during the Berlin airlift. However, what he left out of the speech is far more important than what he said.
First, and most importantly, the world didn’t come together. The west – the US, Britain, and their allies – stood together against the Soviet Union. In May of 1949 The Soviets backed down and allowed the US to supply West Berlin by ground, but because of the threat of force, and the monumental efforts of US and allied airpower. Just making the threat wasn’t enough though. The Soviets had to believe that we were willing to back up the threat with the use of force.
The second historical aspect that Obama left out of his speech was President Truman’s steadfast commitment to staying in Berlin and supplying it come hell or high water. President Truman made this commitment and stuck to it against the recommendations of his political advisers (and many of his military advisers).
Based on his stated position of pulling out of Iraq, I believe that Obama — had he been in the position he’s in now in 1948 during the airlift — would come down firmly on the side of pulling out of Berlin and leaving the citizens of Berlin to starve.
All of this is to say that Obama’s speech was all well and good, but the true history of the airlift is inconvenient for Obama because it doesn’t fit the narrative he’s tried to set up.
UPDATE: John Bolton makes my point far better than I could.
Having earlier proclaimed himself “a fellow citizen of the world” with his German hosts, Obama explained that the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Europe proved “that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.”
Perhaps Obama needs a remedial course in Cold War history, but the Berlin Wall most certainly did not come down because “the world stood as one.” The wall fell because of a decades-long, existential struggle against one of the greatest totalitarian ideologies mankind has ever faced. It was a struggle in which strong and determined U.S. leadership was constantly questioned, both in Europe and by substantial segments of the senator’s own Democratic Party. In Germany in the later years of the Cold War, Ostpolitik — “eastern politics,” a policy of rapprochement rather than resistance — continuously risked a split in the Western alliance and might have allowed communism to survive. The U.S. president who made the final successful assault on communism, Ronald Reagan, was derided by many in Europe as not very bright, too unilateralist and too provocative.
Tags: Berlin, Election 08, Obama, Politics
7/28/2008
The latest McCain TV ad will certainly leave a mark. In fact, it’s likely to be the most memorable aspect of Obama’s round the world trip.
What’s the big deal? Well, if you haven’t heard, Obama was able to find time to hobnob with the Euro elites, speak to adoring crowds of unbiased media, give his history deficient speech, go to the gym, and sight see in Berlin. But, he couldn’t find time to visit wounded troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
After a couple changes of his story, and an attempt to blame the DoD, it finally came out that he cancelled his visit because he wasn’t going to be allowed to bring camera crews and campaign staff with him. McCain’s ad is very appropriate.
Tags: Election 08, McCain, Media Bias, Military, Obama, Politics7/16/2008
Someone Really Ought To Tell Him To Shut Up
Someone really ought to tell Joe Biden to shut up. I mean, really. In the Democrats on going attempt to pivot from Iraq is a failure, so let’s pull out, to Iraq is won so let’s pull out he made quite possibly the stupidest comment made by a politician in a long time (no, I don’t consider Wesley Clark a politician. I’m not sure what he is, but he’s not a politician).
“If John wants to know where the bad guys live, come back with me to Afghanistan,” Biden said. “We know where they reside. And it’s not in Iraq.”
I’m sure the US forces and our coalition partners serving in Iraq will be glad to hear that that the country has magically become bad guy free. I’m also sure that the Iraqis that have risked so much — in some cases, everything — to stand next to us in an attempt to build a better future for their children will be glad to hear that the country has become bad guy free.
Unfortunately, the bad guys didn’t get the memo.
Al Qaeda in Iraq conducted a successful dual suicide attack on an Army recruiting center in Baqubah as the Iraqi military is preparing to launch a new offensive in Diyala province.
Two suicide bombers detonated their vests within the Saad military camp as Iraqi Army recruits gathered inside. Twenty-two recruits were killed and more than 55 wounded, some seriously, Voices of Iraq reported.
Biden also let loose with this little gem.
“In recent years, Iran and not freedom has been on the march in the Middle East,” Biden said, adding that “radical recruitment is on the rise, not demise.”
While Iran has certainly become more and more of a problem in the region over the last several years, I would hardly say that freedom hasn’t been on the march in Iraq, and I suspect there are a great number of Iraqis that would agree that they are more free now than ever in their lives.
Furthermore, if in fact Iran is becoming such a problem in the region (and I believe it is) isn’t that all the more reason to stay in Iraq? Wouldn’t it be a good idea to stay there to protect this new democracy from the nutter Mullahs in Tehran who would love nothing more than an opportunity to further their goals of hegemony in the region?
This is just one more example of why today’s Democratic party under the leadership of Barack Obama who is under the thumb of anti-war groups like Code Pink, and A.N.S.W.E.R can’t be trusted with the safety and security of the United States.
Hat Tip: Dean Barnett
Tags: Afghanistan, Democrats, Election 08, GWOT, Iraq, Obama, Politics7/11/2008
Even ABC Says Obama’s Iraq Plan Won’t Work
ABC’s Martha Raddatz has taken a look at Obama’s Iraq withdrawl plan, and has put it in front of the troops — the leaders that will be charged with pulling it off should Obama be elected — and they all say that it is unlikely to work.
One of the main points of the article is that the troops on the ground — the ones that have been fighting, bleeding, and dying — believe that any withdrawal plan should be conditions based rather than time based in order to keep the security gains we have made so far. Conservatives have been saying for months, pulling out of Iraq before the Iraqi security forces are ready to take over would create a vacuum that would inevitably be filled by militia forces or infiltrators from Iran. After all the blood, sweat, and treasure we have out into our effort in Iraq we cannot allow the country to fall into the hands of the very people we have been fighting.
Unfortunately, Code Pink and Daily Kos want to pull out of Iraq regardless of the conditions on the ground, and regardless of what the commanders on the gorund suggest. One has to wonder exactly who they are rooting for. In fact, Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans “donated” $600,000.00 to insurgents in Fallujah (and yes, I’m questioning her patriotism). Considering Obama’s position on Iraq, it’s really no surprise that Jodie Evans is also an Obama bundler. She has promised to raise $50,000.00 for Obama.
A co-founder of the anti-war group Code Pink, which has made a name for itself by interrupting hearings on Capitol Hill, is a fundraising bundler for Barack Obama.
Jodie Evans has pledged to raise at least $50,000 for Obama, according the Democrat’s campaign site.
According to the Raddatz article, another issue plaguing the Democrat’s surrender plan is the logistics issue. Once again, the commanders on the ground say that removing all our combat troops in the time frame that Obama has given would be difficult.
Success on the battlefield is not the only complication with Obama’s plan.
Physically removing the combat brigades within that kind of time frame would be difficult, as well.
The military has been redeploying troops for years, and Maj. Gen. Charles Anderson, who would help with the withdrawal, told us as we toured Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, “We have the capacity to do a minimum of two-and-a-half brigade combat teams a month — can we expand that capacity? Sure. Can we accelerate? It depends. It depends on the amount of equipment that we bring back. And it’s going to depend on how fast we bring them out.”
It is the equipment that is the real problem.
In the kind of redeployment that Anderson is talking about, the troops head home, but much of their equipment stays behind. Two combat brigades means up to 1,200 humvees in addition to thousands of other pieces of equipment, like trucks, fuelers, tankers and helicopters.
One has to wonder if the Obama team has given any of this any thought. Is he just saying what the nutroots want to hear, or does he really believe in his plan.
If it’s a case of the former then Obama is just another typical politician. If it’s the later — if he really believes that withdrawal from Iraq regardless of conditions on the ground is a good idea — then he is dangerous, and has no business being in charge of our national security.
Tags: GWOT, Iraq, National Security, Obama, Politics7/5/2008
I can just hear it now. “Really officer, you’re not going to believe this, but the explosives were there when I broke into the car“. The explosives laden van is believed to belong to a Chinese immigrant who has been in jail for a couple of months for trying to blow up a tenant he was trying to evict.
Tags: New York, Strange but true