Searching in Vain for the Obama Magic....... from ....(Der Spiegel)

Afghanistan

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12/02/2009

 

Opinion

Searching in Vain for the Obama Magic

By Gabor Steingart

AFP

President Barack Obama's Tuesday speech left a bad taste in many mouths.

Never before has a speech by President Barack Obama felt as false as his Tuesday address announcing America's new strategy for Afghanistan. It seemed like a campaign speech combined with Bush rhetoric -- and left both dreamers and realists feeling distraught.

One can hardly blame the West Point leadership. The academy commanders did their best to ensure that Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama's speech would be well-received.

Just minutes before the president took the stage inside Eisenhower Hall, the gathered cadets were asked to respond "enthusiastically" to the speech. But it didn't help: The soldiers' reception was cool. One didn't have to be a cadet on Tuesday to feel a bit of nausea upon hearing Obama's speech. It was the least truthful address that he has ever held. He spoke of responsibility, but almost every sentence smelled of party tactics. He demanded sacrifice, but he was unable to say what it was for exactly.
An additional 30,000 US soldiers are to march into Afghanistan -- and then they will march right back out again. America is going to war -- and from there it will continue ahead to peace. It was the speech of a Nobel War Prize laureate.
Just in Time for the Campaign
For each troop movement, Obama had a number to match. US strength in Afghanistan will be tripled relative to the Bush years, a fact that is sure to impress hawks in America. But just 18 months later, just in time for Obama's re-election campaign, the horror of war is to end and the draw down will begin. The doves of peace will be let free.
The speech continued in that vein. It was as though Obama had taken one of his old campaign speeches and merged it with a text from the library of ex-President George W. Bush. Extremists kill in the name of Islam, he said, before adding that it is one of the "world's great religions." He promised that responsibility for the country's security would soon be transferred to the government of President Hamid Karzai -- a government which he said was "corrupt." The Taliban is dangerous and growing stronger. But "America will have to show our strength in the way that we end wars," he added.
It was a dizzying combination of surge and withdrawal, of marching to and fro. The fast pace was reminiscent of plays about the French revolution: Troops enter from the right to loud cannon fire and then they exit to the left. And at the end, the dead are left on stage.

Sweet Honey In The Rock - Sylvie - 1990 - Sydney

Sylvie such a beautiful song

Where are the 300, where are the Strong Men in this Country..:-)

Where are the 300, where are the Strong Men in this Country..:-) No i did not ask where 300 angry men were ,we can find those in any country in the world!!! What i am asking is where are the strong firm fathers willing to sacrifice for their families or country and i mean against the wishes of convention.Against the odds.Against foreign and domestic enemies..If you see a man or men who could possibly hurt some fellow soldiers is it worth calling a press conference and being booted from your job? Can i say i would do that i hope so but it would be a tough call but in these dangerous times a necessary one . i know i am not alone GOD once told a frustrated prophet that he was not alone but that there were 7000 other men who had not bowed their head to Baal or in this case politics. Men do not care they just go get the job done . i am not nor will ever wine again, do you think that when a man headed west (100-175 years ago )and turned to his wife and children and said I'll be back when I have a home built for you that he would have been to weak in the knees to then go? i am NOT calling for a physical war but instead a war of spirits ,do you have any spirit in you and no i am not talking anger i am talking fatherly resolute spirit ,that can carry our weaker till they gain spirit from us.An old saying is it ain't the size of the dog in the fight but instead the size of the fight in the dog.. The fight will be long and take our whole life but this Light in this country is worth fighting for ,isn't it. In this struggle there can be no party only common sense .

Health care or JailTime??

Today, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail.  The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years. 
Yes the New Progressive always gives you a choice..:-)

Tell me something , is this crazy???

How long can you live in your own bubble Like our leaders seem to be doing? I know people like this that act like they're oblivious to what is going on around them but they have a drug problem, and I know or think I know it ain't so with BeltwayBunch. So what's their game plan, when the truth hits them in the face the only way to pretend that they are On Track as they put it is to completely silence all descent and they haven't pulled that one off yet so how do you rule against the Peoples will? Do you just try to get everything in place before you're caught? The way i see it is that the emperor can run around naked without having to blush until he is outed . i am not complaining instead i am wondering about the FAIL FACTOR where it seems like those in power are in a Steady State of Anger with now abatement and like a child at a grocery store does not care who sees or about the out come they are just P.O..d ..When ever i think of a man with anger out of control i think of the man living in a graveyard that Jesus came and Healed and cast the demon from him and he once more had control of his own mind and body where minutes before this demon was destroying this man's body and the man could not defend himself. i see some of our so called leaders who are like this and could only have been elected by others who feel this same spirit that is in washington today. i defy anyone to say that he could take our founding fathers thru our capital city and that our fathers would recognize our current country as their future one.These men had a free spirit unincubered by guilt as our current crop of leadership both Left and Right have except for 1o2  alone who Stand in the Gap against great odds and say bring on. It only took a child watching an insane parade to note out loud that the Emperor had no clothes. Let us not faint at this critical hour ...!!!

Well ya'll can go back ta sleep now we won,,,NOT....

We wrestle not with flesh and blood but with some really upside down people who think we are the one who are walking on the ceiling when really they are..Or how about(woe unto them who speak evil of good and good of evil)You have to speak as though speaking to a child without  being condescending when dealing with the Pelosis of this country.I remember swearing one time infront of an elder freind of the family and then being doubly embarrased and having my pride hurt when he dared to bring it up., It always bothered my conscience that he reproved me but in the long run it was good of him to do this, whether I liked it at the time or not .In the same way when Nancy and Barry(the Pres)  need to be rebuked in a kind and loving way when they lie to us.  You never know when you plant this seed what or how it will grow but we must stand and fight, or we will lose our freedom and having someone else to blame is no consolation..

Clear video to the point.. about Obamacare

DNC is hiding the truth about their intentions with this health care check out latest response by Sarah Palin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCHsP6iXr7U )watch this video and tell me what you think...