Obama Finally Did One Right Thing

No clue how to save the economy, huh Larry? Does this mean you still don’t think the stimulus helped the economy go from the edge of a Depression to 3% Q3 growth in less than a year?

Thanks for your intellectual honesty on Afghanistan. It’s difficult to understand, though, how you justify such a statement on the economy. Many indicators are turning positive now. Everyone knows that, tragically, jobs are the lagging indicator, and this was a VERY bad recession.

Bin Laden has been dead, probably for years. How long do you really think he can live on dialysis in a cave?
Our ground info from Afghanistan or Pakistan is “notoriously unreliable” which makes our drone strikes far from “precise.” The strikes are likely in violation of international law. Jane Meyer wrote a good piece on it called The Predator War.

Thanks larry..Interesting perspective..from a qualifed position to do that analysis..I supect that with the situation NOW you outlined..it has to help our Troops and the stratgic planning..

I stil think Obama needs to be getting more international support NOW that He is doing the right thing..perhaps setting his 18 month deadline was to force the Afhans and Pakastan leaders to step up thier co-operation too..

You are right also to put blame as you always have on the Bush.. Cheney Policys..They messed this situation up big time..

I hope this works..I still absoulutely Hate the military insisting on sending patrols out in Humvees..to get blown up by IEDS..How many have died by now that way..or lost arms and Legs or been terribly Burned..??

All i seee every month are the Funerals at Fort Lewis for Stiker Brigade soldiers..and also…those undermanned outpost troops would not have died with proper reinforcements from Obama by Now..

thanks LC..

“Stan McChrystal will end up saving Obama’s bacon.”

Amen.

Welcome home, Larry!

I appreciated hearing Ms. Mayer’s thoughts on this, but she completely lets Obama off the hook for his lack of leadership while in the Senate. He was supposed to chair the committee that dealt with Afghanistan, but could not be bothered because, in his own words, he was too busy campaigning. For Obama to then then cry and whine abt what a mess it was while he was campaigning, claiming he would not ignore it, which he surely did, is just a tad disingenuous.

And again, the Dems were in control of Congress for two years prior to his becoming president. They couldn’t have done ANYTHING in Afghanistan?? Oh, wait, no – because Obama never held any meetings abt it.

Aren’t you glad you’re back??

I think the new strategy makes perfect sense. Pakistani forces are going to press northwest, taking on their own growing threat to internal stability, which happens to be our enemy. American forces will block the door into Afghanistan and minimize any open US incursions into Pakistan, allowing popular support for the Pakistani government’s internal response to domestic terrorism to build. There’s a clear logic to this approach, which could be a real game-changer.

Hammering away on Iraq while Afghanistan was treated as some sort of separate, secondary issue made no sense at all.

I agree that Obama did the right thing sending more troops to Afghanistan. If we are going to be there, then let’s do it right.

However, the war there is unpopular with a large segment of Americans. The bleeding hearts of the left in particular will NEVER forgive Obama for this, just like they will never forgive Bush for Iraq, even though Iraq is much better off with Saddam Hussein.

I’ve been following the reaction of the Obots on sites like HuffPo and a decided majority are disillusioned enough over this decision that they plan to sit out the 2012 election.

So even if sending more troops into Afghanistan was the right thing to do, Obama has irreparably damaged his reputation with his base, who naively thought his anti-war stance in regards to Iraq extended to the rest of the world (despite what he said about Afghanistan during the election).

I for one am extremely happy about his decision, in that a) I think if we’re there, let’s do the job right and b) the bots have finally woken up and realized that Obama is just another politician. The kool-aid era of hopes and dreams is OVER. HALLELUJAH!

I’ll be honest: I do not know what the right course is for us in Afghanistan. Clearly, I do not have access to all the intelligence an American president has. He gets daily input from his military people, from the diplomatic people, from international groups working in Afghanistan, and from our many, many intelligence agencies. So, I think we can assume he is kept up to date on the situation; what he does with all that information depends on his own ability and wisdom.

Having said that though, it seems to me that telling the Taliban we will be leaving in 2011 is a sure signal to them that all they have to do is bide their time and wait us out. While our soldiers will be fighting life and death battles with whatever group over there, the Taliban leaders will merely go over the border into Pakistan and wait … wait … for us to leave … at which point they will roll back into Afghanistan and take over again. When the Taliban takes over again (as even Obama acknowledges they surely will … he wants to “partner” with them), they will begin imposing their harsh rule on all the Afghan people but especially anyone who cooperated with us while we were there. The Afghan people know this and the Taliban know this, so Afghan people will be very reluctant to risk their lives to help us, now, when they know (as surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west) that they will be punished by the Taliban for cooperating with the Americans.

The mission in Afghanistan is not a military mission; it can’t be, not with the small number of military we are willing to put there. The mission in Afghanistan is to teach the Afghan military how to protect their own country from the Taliban and from anyone else who chooses to invade their land. If the Afghan military hasn’t been able to organize themselves into a credible fighting force in the past 100 years, what makes us think that two years of training by our military is going to change their cultural attitudes? They are a tribal people and many cannot even read, even many in their military cannot read. It’s going to take more than showing them how to fight at the platoon level. And how can you teach a person to pilot a jet fighter when he cannot even read?

The changes that need to occur in Afghanistan before they will be willing and able to stand up to the Taliban or any other foreign invaders will take generations to effect. Since we don’t plan to invest that sort of energy in changing Afghanistan traditionally, culturally and educationally, we might as well bring our troops home now and spare them the deaths that will occur between now and 2011.

We were not on the edge of a great depression and the Democratic talking point was used to secure an election and, as importantly, the sign off on the largest and most reckless spending bill in American history that directly sunk us into a more protracted recession and jobless recovery.

There was clearly nothing stimulating about that spending bill and all claims that it kept us from the precipice of a depression are lies created to convince an uninformed public.

Obama promised that the spending bill would keep us from going more than 8.5% unemployment. Now we are over 10% and real unemployment is over 17%.

Recessions are a natural recurring event in a capitalistic economy. If the government does nothing it will go through its own cycle and recover on its own. But we have learned that the more the government interfers the worse it becomes. That is what is happening now.

What she said.

well someones got to do it and Hillary is busy this week

PS I meant to say: Iraq is much better off withOUT Saddam.

It they’d listened closely to his campaign speeches they wouldn’t have been surprised at what he’s doing in Afghanistan. His intended actions in Afghanistan are entirely consistent with what he was saying all along.

Nobody should be drinking Kool-Aid, whatever the flavor. (It’s currently being freely dispensed by people other than Obama, in my opinion.) Voters should listen closely and think critically about what’s actually being said and done.

You are wrong about Obama doing the right thing. Yes, it is the right thing to send 30 thousand soldiers to the area but the strategy of buying up the locals in order to bring about tranquility is just a fantasy.

On the other hand, what these 30 thousand men will do is to destabilize Pakistan and move it toward a radical Muslim nation just like Iran. Ultimately Obama will send a few brigades into Pakistan to try to recover a government. At the same time India will probably take the opportunity to invade Kashmir. Remember how close Obama and Singh show themselves to be lovers of each other.

The only way to resolve the Afghanistan issue is to set up English teaching schools in every city guarded by American soldiers for a minimum of ten years. After that to grant those American soldiers Afghanian citizenship and to offer them a big piece of land for them to raise their families. In 2040 we might make their territory into a commonwealth and in 2050 a State. That could work.

Sorry, your statements fly in the face of virtually all professional economists’ opinion. In the NQ bubble, perhaps the entire world wasn’t teetering on the edge of apocalypse. In reality, the global banking system was probably about 48 hours from complete freeze-up in early September 2008. You can rant all you want about how Obama and the stimulus bill made the economy worse. Grownups understand otherwise, thank god.

Afghanistan > Pakistan < India… Yes, this is what I think. I don't think anybody really thinks July 2011 and the troops will be coming home. This is pouring gas on smoking pile.

Nice diversionary spin manuver, but he also made campaign promises he did NOT keep. Should we be surprised or not surprised? You are cherry picking, dude. You fail on the logic test.

AND this “decision” does try to appease both sides, so you fail again. You are a miserable advocate or employee for your position and/or employer.

Here’s just one major promise he failed to keep, in light of the fact the health care affects every American:

Barack Obama Campaign Promise No. 517:

Negotiate health care reform in public sessions televised on C-SPAN

To achieve health care reform, “I’m going to have all the negotiations around a big table. We’ll have doctors and nurses and hospital administrators. Insurance companies, drug companies — they’ll get a seat at the table, they just won’t be able to buy every chair. But what we will do is, we’ll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies. And so, that approach, I think is what is going to allow people to stay involved in this process.”

Sources: Town hall meeting on Aug. 21, 2008, in Chester, Va.

Spam monster: #comment-1282670

I remember when President G.W. Bush vowed on 9/11/01.
NEVER AGAIN ON MY WATCH..
and the terrorists reply.
America has the watch…but we have got the TIME

Spending $30,0000,000,000 to kill or capture 200 people seems a tad bit excessive. There has to be a better way, such as special forces units trained in sneaking and killing. The knife being more effective than a bomb. Besides this whole operation smacks of Nation Building, which we swore we weren’t interested in doing.

At some point, I suspect it would help if we would actually define who or what we’re supposed to be warring against – or for.

We did such a swell job with Iraq.

Prime,
Your ignorance of the economy and economics in general puts you in good company with your main man. Unlike you I actually have a PhD exam in international economics. So enough with the cheerleading.

The credit markets remain frozen except for the most wealthy folks who have stellar credit ratings. The number of foreclosures continues to go up, not down. Unemployment continues to go up, not down. And there are some bubbles overseas that will burst and exacerbate the economic problems here.

The so-called stimulus bill has done nothing to “stimulate” the economy or create new jobs. Why? Most of the money is going for Government infrastructure and Government run projects. And only about 33% of the money authorized has actually been disbursed. Stop drinking the koolaid and get a grip on reality.

Stupid bots, being nit picky of Larry, when he is praising BO mostly today.

Shoot yourselves in the foot, why don’t ya.

Comment by Prime Obot | 2009-12-03 15:30:14

No clue how to save the economy, huh Larry? Does this mean you still don’t think the stimulus helped the economy go from the edge of a Depression to 3% Q3 growth in less than a year?

Laughing at your argument using relativism. The stimulus failed to meet its target. Where are the jobs?

You can’t build Utopia using wood from the devil’s lumberyard…

Who then extracted the $540 Billion in a few hours on 9-14-08 which led to the 1st bailout necessity?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2183367/posts
I’d say it was Soros, who’s the puppeteer behind your Opuppet. McCain was ahead before this artificial crashing of US banks.

Larry, kindly go harder on the woman/man, next time?

You mean his “dithering”?

…now Obama previously said he wanted to triple the Afghan army. Now he’s only talking doubling it, right?

I think so and if we are not careful we will get another embassy takeover in Pakistan similar to what the Iranians did in the 79. Then Obama will be pushed, like Jimmy Carter to invade Pakistan or be ousted by a Republican like Palin.

I bet Al Queda would feel fulfilled if they can orchestrate an embassy takeover in Pakistan.

“Nice diversionary spin manuver, but he also made campaign promises he did NOT keep.”

It might sound cynical to come right out and say it, but when has it ever been otherwise?

“fly in the face of virtually all professional economists’ opinion”

Just like the tinfoil hat scientists that said we are months away from armagedon with the climate.

Actually, it was only a small group of economists as well as self-serving business and political people who propagated that B.S.

The bank story is an old line that has proven to be B.S. as well. As it turns out, the government bailed out the banks so that they could stabilize their businesses with the intent of opening up the credit market. That still has not happened.

And there are no grown ups supporting Obama. Only far left socialists and feckless fools who need to have the government do everything for them including changing their diapers.

Laughing at your moral relativism argument.

Thank god I can turn off my computer and your warped mind no longer rears its ugly noggin on my screen.

Jimmy Carter was in over his pay grade, but he had a moral compass. I don’t think Barack Obama is anywhere near the leader that Jimmy Carter was. We are in deep trouble if we see anything close to that in Pakistan. It is very troubling to even consider how it would play out.

“Virtually all professional economists’ opinion.”

Really? That’s a very encompassing and definitive statement botfly. Name ONE well known economist, and give a quotation by the individual that demonstrates a direct refutation of what Hokma has written.

And again botfly, even if you can supply the name of an individual and a quote, for the umpteenth time, you’ve simply presented no more than the fallacy of an argumentum ad populum to support your position. It must be very comforting for you to be just another sheep in a uniformly nondescript flock of woolly ruminants.

comment-1282687 pwned.

I think the new strategy makes perfect sense.

Gee big surprise there dude.

The only reason to invade a country like Afghanistan is to teach them English. Period. And Western and American history. And today to teach them to surf the net and participates in forums like this one. Imagine if many of the participants here would be Afghanis.

That’s what Americans did in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, Alaska, Hawaii, and in most of the Territories once established, and almost did in the Philippines. Once English is established, and Western history understood, everything else is facilitated.

All we need is a big depression here to see if many Americans would like to migrate to Afghanistan and establish their families there. I know I would if I was promised at least 10 to 20 acres of land just for making it there.

Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II all campaigned on budgetary responsibility, right? McCain/Palin were campaigning for deeper tax cuts, while simultaneously pitching federal fiscal responsibility. Pardon me for noticing, but truth in advertising seldom applies to presidential campaigns. History bears that overservation out. It also seems to show that people will fall for the same lines again and again.

Larry is qualifed and has the background to do an Objective analysis..Both CIA and State department Counter terrorism Backgrounds..

Larry spends much time all year long in contact with..or TRAINING Military Folks at ALL Levels..he loves our Troops..many are His friends..He KNOWS How they THINK and What they want DONE Now..

He has often Given Objective Credit when and where it is Due..and I agree..On This point Larry is making he is Both Qualifed and is being Objective..

Our Troops deserve to Finish This Fight and avoid another Nam scenario..

Even Obama does not want the “Islamic Jihad Terrrorist” to come back home to Roost on His watch..

nd Larry is the Only One I know here that has the QUALIFICATIONS or INFORMATION.. to Analyze this situation at this POINT..

Dislike for Obama aside..

You are trying to spin away from the fact you blew your original argument and I busted you? Its OK, I’ve been busted myself on occasion.

Perhaps if being advocates for a position was not our goal here, there would be far more truth from everyone. All and all though, I see way far more truth from the forces opposing BO. And yes, that’s moral relativism and I am a bloody hypocrite like every other human being.

Let’s go back to the intellectual fist-to-cuffs now?

Think about it and tell me how it doesn’t make sense.

If we’re going to criticize the President’s new strategy, we’d best have something that makes more sense in mind.

In case someone hasn’t noticed, we’re already in Afghanistan, and there’s already a struggle underway just across the border between our sworn enemies and a democratic Islamic government in possession of up to 100 nuclear warheads, with the planes and missles to deliver them. If we leave Afghanistan, our sworn enemies will have a place to escape to. If we remain, Pakistan will have them up against a wall.

If we could only get the British to drop a couple of battalions of Gurkhas into the fight, the Taliban would quickly become an extinct species.

No clue. I plead Nolo contendre. I don’t have the creds to even begin to know. I was just pointing out your usual agreement with BO. Like big surprise and all.

Unfortunately, none of the problems in the American economic system have been resolved. Everything is once again building on a stack of cards.

A fake economic forecast to once again pay outrageous bonuses to people who have not earned them is criminal. Bring out the cuffs ………

It’s all another scam ………

And as far as Afghanistan, no credit to Obama. Asking McChrystal to evaluate the situation, reading what someone else wrote for the teleprompter, sending Hillary and Gates to defend the position, and sending Troops to do the dirty work with his pure disdain for the mission on the American people’s dime, just doesn’t leave any thing left over to give him credit for.

I did hear he was an excellent passenger while riding around in Air Force One.

CAROL HAKA

but he had a moral compass.

Indeed he did. For all his many faults, he is a man who lives by his principles. I disagree with most of his current opinions but respect him for his straightforward honesty–a rare commodity in today’s lie-whenever-your-lips-are-moving means of communication. As with Reagan, I know where Carter stands.

I agree.

Gee, since you seem to know *so much*, why aren’t you an analyst at the CIA, Heather? Indeed, why don’t you enlighten us with the information that must lie behind your claim that bin Laden is dead. I’, all ears.

Riding around in Air Force One may not make Obama air sick, but it makes ME want to vomit.

Let’s go back to the intellectual fist-to-cuffs now?

Yeah. Before we turn into two cartoon characters fencing for imaginary points with a fly swatter and a tennis racket.

The credit markets remain frozen? Are you for real?

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle/articleid/3661165

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091202-711840.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091203-714633.html

That’s just 60 seconds of googling. Look, I’m at work, I can’t spend a long time defending my position, unfortunately, so obviously most of you will just go on your merry way and assume I’m wrong. Please know, though, that Larry’s statement about credit markets is foolish almost beyond comprehension, and I certainly will not take anything he says on this subject seriously any longer.

I thought Muslims eschewed bacon.

I think Obama has earned a bit more time to demonstrate whether the troop build-up will work. I hope Larry Johnson is right. But, my concern is that we will have the same experience that the Russians did.

Signed,

Surrender Monkey

There’s not enough barf bags in the solar system to cover my disdain for the disgusting occupants of the WH!

CAROL HAKA

I just thought you couldn’t make it to the funeral. You didn’t even send flowers. Obama was there. He bowed there too.

Seriously, I’m not sure anyone in the West knows whether he is alive or dead. even if he were dead, the fact that we don’t know keeps him “alive” as a vocal symbol.

Okay, I had to dig a bit deeper. Try this paper on for size:

http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/letter/2009/el2009-32.html

“The indicators of aggregate credit conditions outlined in this article suggest that the Fed’s accommodative monetary policy stance during the financial crisis has worked to improve credit markets. The historical federal funds rate indicator declined from 3.1% in June 2007 to 1.7% by June 2009. At the same time though, these results also suggest that overall credit conditions since late 2007 have been tighter than might otherwise have been expected based on historical experience and that this tightness is partly offsetting the Fed’s policy actions.”

In other words, conditions are still lousy but credit markets have improved, and clearly at least some of that improvement was due to the federal government spewing out a few trillion in walking-around money.

Impressive degree, Larry. Unimpressive commentary here, though.

When the “pukes” leave the WH, the only accomplishments will be Obama taking credit for all success (yeah, like there will be any, HA HA!) and laying the blame for everything else on someone else.

CAROL HAKA

I have the same misgivings, starfish. But for the sake of the country, now that the decision has been made [or announced] I hope Larry’s right and McChrystal can pull this off. However, I have no idea where the Administration will pull the funds from. It’s not like we’re rolling in money right now.

I also agree with the statement that the economy is Obama’s Achille’s heel. People are beginning to wink and blink at the happy chatter, the “all’s well” chant. Elizabeth Warren had a devastating essay up at Huffy-pooh on the vanishing middle class. We’re getting new unemployment numbers tommorrow but we already know that nearly 1 in 5 people are out of work, underemployed or just given up. Foreclosures are spinning at a breakneck speed, multiple states are teetering on bankruptcy and tax receipts are in the toilet.

This is “not” good news.

However, you’ve made me feel a bit better, Larry, on the Afghanistan decision. You have the expertise, so I’ll go with that.

Welcome back, btw!

Right now, what is wrong with Iraq?

You do not think the U.S. troops did a great job securing the country and increasing security?

You don’t think there is a light at the end of the tunnel in Iraq for U.S. troops?

The occasional audio tapes have been verified as Osama. I’m sure he is not in a cave and has probably had a kidney transplant.

I remember all of the tales of Osama living in a cave. It turned out, he was in some kind of small “palace” in Afghanistan with “art and treasures”. Don’t you remember Geraldo standing next to his swimming pool that was damaged in a bombing?

I’m sure Obama will get the chance to “kiss Osama’s butt” before it is all over with.

CAROL HAKA

Even I agree. And next to GW, Jimmy Carter is my least favorite president. But I always thought Carter wanted to do the right thing.

He was just lousy getting results. And I voted for him [don't throw too many stones :0)].

You are citing sources whose best interest is to give you a smoke and mirrors impression of the credit market – that expecially includes the Federal Reserve.

You want the truth? Ask the head of a company – large or small – why they can’t get credit. Donald Trump was just on Cavuto and confirmed that the credit market remains frozen and people cannot get credit for businesses.

You want to know why unemployment has gone up as much as it has and will remain high throughout 2010? Uncertainty. Uncertainty about whether there is going to be credit to run a business; uncertainty about what energy prices are going to be (federal energy tax); uncertainty about what employee healthcare costs/taxes will be (Obamacare). And on top of that is the increasing uncertainty among consumers.

I’m with you, Carol.

Why do you think it took That One so long to make a decision? He had other important considerations to ponder such as how it would look to his Kool-Aide slugging supporters if he acquiesced to McChrystal’s recommendations and how he could ultimately spin his decision pandering into both an adoration-fest and a pretense for him to claim he’s looking out for our best interests. He is all too transparent.

What in the world is a “Ph.D. exam?” What does that mean? Do you have a Ph.D. in economics or don’t you? Does a person HAVE an exam?

Even I agree. And next to GW, Jimmy Carter is my least favorite president. But I always thought Carter wanted to do the right thing.

He was just lousy getting results.

Btw, I voted for Carter [don't throw too many stones :0)].

Larry,

Reading your post, I couldn’t help but remember when I first became “involved” in Afghanistan, which was circa 1979. An officer courier from the Pentagon showed up at the CG’s front door with a huge pouch, and my boss (the G-2) and I were called in by the old man and told to “make some sense of this and teach the officers going in everything they need to know about the target area.” A tall order which, as a young Captain, I didn’t really fully appreciate until I started to carry it out.

T oversimplify, I think that the difficulty that most Americans have in getting their minds around Afghanistan boils down to:

1. We have a hard time conceptualizing that the Taliban itself is more akin to the network of UHaul franchisees than it is to an army, per se. After all, we assign one simple name to it: “the Taliban.” Why can’t it be as easy to understand as, say, a regional bank, with branches that are all interconnected and responding in lockstep to the CEO? But it isn’t. In fact, at one point in my career, as you know, I used to supply people who have now evolved into a small part of “the Taliban” after we foolishly cut them off cold turkey when the Russians departed.

2. Culturally, Afghanistan and its multiple ethnic groups, many of which have “tribes” within them, aren’t like our next door neighbors, with whom we might have a disagreement over who gasses up the communal lawn mower. For the most part, there is no sense of national identity, and even within an ethnic group, there may be no sense of binding ethic group identitiy. A tribe within a particular ethinic group may have more afinity with a tribe of another ethnic group and a total blood feud with one or more tribes of its own ethnic group. Feuds are settled by continuing combat. Democracy, even within a tribe, is not well understood and may even be believed to be an immoral affront to Islam. Honor and financial gain are often seen as synonamous. Not an easy enviroment to portray in a sound bite, let alone explain how you are going to achieve American national interests within, without sounding unpolitically hypocritical.

3. The real bad guys that we need to neutralize are, for most part, across the “border” in Pakistan, entrenched in an area within which even the Pakistani government infrastructure fears to tread. If national borders in that area meant anything, which they don’t, ideally, we might consider having a presence in Pakistan and leaving Afghanistan to itself. Since that isn’t politically possible, we need a place close enough to the target area to keep enough boots on the ground so as to allow us to achieve our objectives. Unfortunately, southwest Afghanistan happens to be that place. But in order to keep enough boots on the ground in southwest Afghnistan to achieve our objectives against the takfiri jihadi center of gravity, we also have to put enough boots on the ground to secure southeast Afghanistan. A circular headache.

I think that we eventually might achieve America’s theoretically limited objectives in the region if the Obama administration can hold firm, focus on those objectives, and not get tangled up trying to please the perpetually changing “interests” of the rest of the world or trying to remake either Afghanistan or Pakistan over into our own image of Jeffersonian democracy. I realize that this is a lot to hope for in an era of “the first post American President.” What I worry about most is when we tie our operations not to achieving the neutralization of the takfiri jihadi center of gravity in the region, but to achieving a centralized Afghan government in our own image. And within eighteen months, at that.

According to the Bible, God made man “in his own image.” How well did that work out? And we aren’t God.

Sorry for the double post. Not sure how that happened.

That living-in-a-cave-and-dying claptrap was designed to take the heat off the previous administration, hence the incredible statements concerning bin Laden being “marginalized” and other such nonsense. The country allowed its collective eye to be taken off the *real* target.

LOL Peggy Sue

Carter/Bush II–Nice guys; lousy Presidents. I can honestly say I never voted for either one.

The historical federal funds rate indicator declined from 3.1% in June 2007 to 1.7% by June 2009.

This is not smoke and mirrors. This is pure data. Unless you’re accusing this author of lying about this data, you have no choice but no acknowledge that credit markets have eased at least somewhat since last fall.

Much of the other stuff you wrote is accurate. Uncertainty does still prevail, growth is slow, hiring doesn’t exist yet. Most economists expect unemployment to start going down again early next year, and even then only slowly.

None of this, though, contradicts my core assertion, which is that the fed’s expansive monetary policy and the White House’s massive infusion of cash into the banking system forestalled a cataclysm. Are you guys seriously going to argue that the banking system would have survived without the massive federal intervention? Or alternately, that we would have done better to let them all fail?

“It they’d listened closely to his campaign speeches they wouldn’t have been surprised at what he’s doing in Afghanistan. His intended actions in Afghanistan are entirely consistent with what he was saying all along.”

That doesn’t really matter, as he didn’t really focus his speeches on troop increases on Afghanistan. Instead, what he did focus on, and what people heard over and over again, was that he was “ending the war.” Don’t tell me that Axelrod and co did not know that they were playing on the Obots hatred of war by focuing on pulling out of Iraq. They totally played up the anti-war narrative. Otherwise, why do you think the Nobel committee gave him that peace prize? Even the Nobel committee bought into that anti-war narrative, repeated over and over again quite loudly and clearly. Whatever he did say on Afghanistan was drowned out by all his anti-war rhetoric.

It’s like shouting in a crowded room: FIRE and then whispering to your neighbor “over in the fireplace” afterwards.

Obama deserves to lose the support from the left and he will never get it back from anti-war people because they are as fundamentalist on that position as pro-lifers are on abortion.

Paul Krugman warned last spring that Obama went too far in accommodating idiot Republicans and therefore the stimulus was too weak. He also warned that the president’s adversaries would use that weakness as an argument against further federal action to stimulate job growth. You are just confirming exactly what he predicted.

Right now, what is wrong with Iraq?

A better question is, “What is right with Iraq”?

It wasn’t worth the cost, either in blood or treasure. The reasons are too numerous to list but suffice it to say that I thought it was a monumentally stupid idea from jump street. That being said, now that we’re there, we do have to finish it.

And before you go off on me, I’m both a veteran and have a son who has served two tours there and a daughter who is taking the oath in January. That is in addition to several nephews and nieces so I’m no bleeding-heart liberal and support the troops far more than you will ever know. However, I know a truly stupid move when I see one and the Iraq invasion is the definition of stupid. To that add further insult to injury with a coward like Cheney running the show and a moron like Rumsfeld going with what he had instead of building up the forces he needed and you get a disaster waiting to happen. And we’re going to pay for this folly for decades to come.

Credit to banks has eased. But credit to companies and consumers has not. The Bush/Obama administrations gave money to the banks with no demand that it be to relieve credit.

Most economists (other than the left wing Obama excusers) have clearly stated that unemployment will remain high throughout 2010.

What is holding up companies from hiring is the specific uncertainty I spoke. Companies can forecast normal inflationary costs of doing business. They can’t forecast what the radical legislation regarding healthcare and energy will costs any company right now – but they know the cost will be high.

There are arguments that the infusion of cash into the banking system didn’t save anything except certain companies staying in business instead of declaring bankruptcy. There is a good argument that this doomsday talk of last Fall was overstated.

What was supposed to happen with that infusion was the revitalization of the credit markets – that has not happened.

None of this, though, contradicts my core assertion, which is that the fed’s expansive monetary policy and the White House’s massive infusion of cash into the banking system forestalled a cataclysm.

Fallacy of the unknown fact, dud. Christ, if you were any more dense, you have satellites orbiting you.

None of this, though, contradicts my core assertion, which is that the fed’s expansive monetary policy and the White House’s massive infusion of cash into the banking system forestalled a cataclysm.

Fallacy of the unknown fact, dud. Christ, if you were any more dense, you’d have satellites orbiting you.

Oops. Sorry for the double post.

Your ignorance of the economy and economics in general puts you in good company with your main man.

I don’t know, Silence, but having someone say this about me would make me feel like cold boogers in a Dixie Cup.

The issue raised was: “We did such a swell job with Iraq.”

That has nothing to do why or should we have been there in the first place, or the idiot Rumsfeld strategy of going in on the cheap.

It has to do with the job the troops did in the end.

Thank you Retired, for your excellent, detailed and Interesting comments..I appreciate the Read…Quite refrreshing..like Larrys are, for a Change…

I learned quite alot…agree with your points..we are not there to “Democrazie “..The Country..or change its historic culture(s)..which are many..Diverse..and “PROUD”..Like Our Naqtive American Culture…eaach tribe distinct..and different..for example..

Actually I can see president Obama agreeing with you on that point..being sensetive to “Cultures” ashe is…

I can also see him agreeing with you logic and
Strategic Thinking..which only makes sense about the South west region of afghanistan..being stabalized..and SECURE…and then working North and NE from there into the mountains and hideouts..

ALL of that and HEAVY Strategic Support from The Pakastan Army ..becuase Pakistan Needs to be Our Ally for obvious strategic reasons..

Again, We MUST Have strong Diplomacy hwere at home..and Began Negoations with all our Friends and Ally for a Fresh Committment in this effort..as many of them STILL are Targets of the Islamic Ji haddist NETWOOK..world wide..

Thanks

Yes Retired…We are not God…But as the Bible also says..at the end of Historical Events…That mankind will have a FORM of Godliness..But will Deny the POWER of God.
.As Solomen said..Vanity..Vanity..ALL is vanity..

A broken watch is right twice a day.

For those scoring at home:
Broken Watch – 2
Obama – 1

From Retired: “people who have now evolved into a small part of “the Taliban” after we foolishly cut them off cold turkey when the Russians departed.”

Can someone drill that into Obama’s brain before he cuts and runs in two years?

Yes Banned…That will be the bottom line..won’t it..Even President Bush and many other presidents have ADAPTED to new Strategic situations..if Obama stubbornly Pulls out THEN..It will lead to a TOTAL Disaster..

Also…what does a complete withdrawl involve?? NO Military Presence..NO Support..NO Bases or support Operations for the Afghans..or Pakistans if needed..??

I also feel no matter what..We need to maintain a Strong AIR Support capability in the whole region..Iraq and afghanistan .and Gulf region..since we are at the PEAK of this current Instability in the Region..

Now..I am playing out the scenarios if Obama does FULLY Pull out..and that Whole Region LIGHTS up with JI HAD..all the way to the borders of India and China..and SE Asia..

What Strategic and Diplomatic MOVES Will Be required of us then..and What will THAT COST Be..

If Obama must win for America to win, I can accept that. What I can’t accept is for America to lose. Either domestically or internationally.

Ferd, PLEASE stick around longer this time. I tried wearing your troll emasculator hat and its a drain!

Seriously dude, I hope I at least got you and the other trolls to see why many of us are outraged in the real non-blog world. Debating details doesn’t change this perception.

There’s a ton of suffering out there man and someone who lost their home, can’t feed their family, lost their credit, etc. under BO’s watch doesn’t care if you blame Bush or anyone/anything else.

Waiting until today to hold a job summit doesn’t bode too well towards his reputation, as well as the stall on the Afghan decision. Two major issues, meanwhile people see him playing golf, jet setting around the globe making an utter buffoon of himself and hosting shindigs at the White House with $100 per pound beef.

This is what many people are feeling.

Here’s some links from the first page that came up on google. If I were President I would abolish the CIA. It’s drone program is completely illegal because it is not a “combatant” and therefore cannot legally attack anyone in armed combat or anywhere else.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/5232505/Pakistans-President-says-Osama-bin-Laden-could-be-dead.html

http://www.examiner.com/x-23316-Madison-Independent-Examiner~y2009m11d30-Is-Osama-bin-Laden-dead

http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/osama_dead.html

‘WAS’….a bad recession??? I didn’t realize I had been in a coma. Things seemed the same this morning!

Okay, how about this for a better strategy?

McChrystal asked for between 40- and 90,000 troops to adequately do the job he was hired and selected by BO to do. That means that anything less than 40,000 is inadequate. Why do you think it’s a perfect strategy to do a less-than-adequate job of supplying troops to the general who was personally chosen to head up the war in Afghanistan?

Ask the people of New Orleans how those less-than-adequate levees worked for them during hurricane Rita.

Except there is no Ted Kennedy to run against him..

Go back to logic class, idjit. You just proved Obama doesn’t have the stones for the job when he “went too far in accommodating i.d.i.o.t Republicans” — Obama caved ACCORDING TO YOU. No one made him cave in. Are you always this stupid?

um, about a million people dead ?

One thing you don’t understand Retired is that when you were 2 years old you fit the definition you gave of Afghanis in No. 2. How about that. And to continue somewhat more tenuous, when you were 4 years old, your parents had to deal for you with the definition you represented on No. 3. Children have to learn about centralized government pretty soon or they will be expelled from wherever they are.

The idea of God and man in terms of images is that both God and man are prepared to learn from mistakes and to choose a wiser path.

All the Afghanis need is to learn different things from what they have been taught already. English, Western culture, Western religions, etc. If we are not able to set up schools that allow for the vast majority of their population to go to and learn and see the world from a different stand point, then we are wasting our time. We shouldn’t have invaded their country just to show them we have better weaponry.

Win, my @ss. The only thing we’re there to win is more power and money for the fascist oligarchs with their bootheels on our necks already.
If we’d had enough morals (the government) or spine (the populace) to refuse to back these wars, we wouldn’t need to leave now.
& Since when did stopping murdering people get to be surrender? F#ck these evil, parasitical wars. We’re more than capable of protecting ourselves at home.

Wouldn’t-have-been-there-slaughtering-civilians-with-white phosphorus-and-incompetent-drone-attacks-to-begin-with Monkey
http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/rawanews.php?id=1070
http://blog.cleveland.com/world_impact/2008/09/large_afghankids.jpg

Lark..I agree with you about providing and supporting “Education”..by providing structures and school material..like we do in Iraq..those programs are sucessful..and help build society..

That basic freedom provides opportunity the Afghan people to develope a improved democtaric process..as well as improving themselfs..

The Oppressive Taliban reguim did the opposite..and we saw all kinds of people being executed and abused..

The line between tyrrany and freedom is thin and fragile..Remember it was the French who helped up obtain our freedoms..and develope a constitution that was intended to Insure thier survival.. We have opportunitys now to help other Peoples the same way..in a more primative region.. and its a great way for Americans..and coalition folks to interact with the people..and the mission there more tolerable..

Nom..Right now..I’m think more about the smoldering Devestaion in New york city and the twin Towers…and all those Inernational Lifes Lost..Also the gaping Hole and flames in the Pentagon..and the death there…and the Brave folks who died preventing another plane from destroying Our White House..That operation was Planned and Financed by Bin Laden and Islamic Jihaddists who have been murdering Many Peoples globally for years..Remember BERUIT..??

Who the hell started the MAYHEM..??

So..Are we MORE Than capable of protecting ourselfs at HOME..?? Against an International Terrorism Group Like that..?? At least if we Cut off the Heads of the Snakes and thier means to Finance operations..it will make it easier to pick up their TAILS..

That Monsters Heads are now in the Middle east..They started this War..and I Hope this time Our Military and Intelligence Folks will FINISH it..

Time for Our Troops to kill REAL bad Guys..and REAL enemys of the United States..and WIN This War.

our own intelligence admits we could have prevented 9/11, this is a straw man.
look at the links! are those your REAL BAD GUYS?

I agree with you that Obama caved on the stimulus and it should have been stronger. So? By arguing that he caved and should have had a much bigger stimulus, you are contradicting the poster above, who has been arguing precisely the opposite, that stimulus spending like this has no effect. Get it? Who is being stupid again?

Perhaps feeling the Tingle of a IED or Nuke going off under your sorry Butt will Light you Up..so that your last Realistic thought will be..

“Those bastards”

Fuck off.

I JUST HAVE TO ADDRESS THIS ONE-I have made every attempt to stay away from Prime Obot, mainly because his/her screen name is like some immature child that is like a Transformer Freak and I thought he/she was just an another immature Obambi blogger and his otherwise uneducated comments daily on this blog are never founded on truths, but I have to jump into this fray regarding Larry Johnson and his ability to KNOW THE TRUTH bc he has sources WE DO NOT! The references you cite are for PUBLIC VIEW MADE UP FOR PUBLIC VIEW WITH MANIPULATED VERSIONS OF THE TRUTH, i.e. unemployment is 9%, but FACTS proved the jobs were not really jobs and never existed, so the true number was almost 18% and ALSO ONLY THE VERSIONS THEY WANT US TO KNOW FROM THE MEDIA AND WHAT THEY REPORT. We are very ignorant in this country bc the newspaper and media are doing there damn best to ensure we stay that way. Other countries are reporting the truth. WHERE IS THE CITE FOR THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OR THE STATE BY STATE STATS FOR ECONOMY AND JOBS?? Seriously, call your local CHAMBER and ask them the numbers for your community and report county to county in each state with ACCURATE NUMBERS!! When you educate yourself, I will address you again, but until then, I will continue to ignore your postings as just another uneducated follower of the MAN CHILD N CHIEF! Oh, and before you go insulting Larry Johnson on his opinions or facts, show us your credentials in your resume to compare to Larry Johnson’s and it might add to your posting other than Obambi run GOOGLE, I am sure you will want to debate that, too?? Please don’t even respond bc I have no time for ignorance or for someone who does not educate themselves before speaking. Excuse any grammar errors during my rant, but I can’t believe this KNOW IT ALL that can’t see the truth of this IDIOT N CHIEF!!

I have a RANT in the SPAM jail..LOL!! Please release it, LOL!

The credit markets remain frozen except for the most wealthy folks who have stellar credit ratings.

LJ, does that means your bud in Florida finally got his financing? You wrote he had a stellar credit and not hurting, but still could not get credit?

Prime Obot, poor thing, out here in the 8th largest economy of the world, I was up from BO’s payroll bump, then got furloughed, which made me even and now the state once again cut 10% out of my wallet.
How is that stimulus? And guess what? You live in a major pumkin patch that’s another 25 billion in the hole.

You’re look so wack, doin the “Tal-e-BOnanna.”

“Wanted dead or alive” to “I don’t think about it much”.

Larry is what they refer to as A.B.D. (all but dissertation). He took all the courses for a Ph.D and passed his final exam, but did not write a dissertation. I guess life got in the way.

Relying on the integrity and experience of the military leaders in the field, I support the decision for more troops.
The new assessment nearing the end of 2010 is reasonable. That will either show progress or determine finality.
For now, at the very least, the military has a precise goal, and I hope that will boost their resolve.

You qualify for a KOOL-AID INTERVENTION, Obot. Even Krugman is now warning of a “double-dip” recession [you say "recession," I say depression]. Read Reich lately?

What economists say?

They said subprime was “contained,” and there was no risk of a “recession,” as I recall.

They said there were “green shoots” and the unemployment rate soared to depression-era levels.

So, basically, you’ve been “bamboozled” by the Big Bamboozler himself.

nice

I hope this is in jest. Surely no one can be foolish enough to think that America is somehow going to go into Afghanistan and westernize them. But then again, we did elect both Bush and Obama.

For some reason, your comment brings to mind the old adage, “A conservative is just a former liberal who has been mugged.”

“Why do you think it’s a perfect strategy to do a less-than-adequate job of supplying troops to the general who was personally chosen to head up the war in Afghanistan?”

Because I don’t believe our primary business with Afghanistan is or ever should have been nation-building. Devoting too much to the realization of that idea is a misapplication of manpower and effort. It’s applying the logic of Iraq to an entirely different situation.

We should support the centralized power of the national government to the extent that it serves our purpose. We should deal with the various tribal leaders as best serves our purpose. The interests of the national government and the tribal leaders are often not the same, but all can see our enemy as their enemy.

Just my opinion, of course.

You are not alone with those feelings Retired..and thats why many of us stay “On Point..”

Well, “Heather” that’s why you are NOT president. And that isn’t in defense of Obama.

You cannot understand the function of an entity such as the CIA until you are actually there.

Most Americans, I bet, feel this way.

I resemble that remark! I consider myself a moderate after being more liberal. I got tired of all the doom and gloom and the wringing of hands over the social ills and injustices the libs love to beat people over the head with. Being a liberal requires that you live by emotion rather than common sense.

After I worked in the public sector with the disenfranchised and those less than model citizens I found out that many aren’t remotely or truthfully interested in a hand-up. They are more invested in a hand-out and a pass. Not all, mind you, but most.

awww, you think you know me. how sweet.
however, your assessments that I must be naive or unacquainted personally with violence are wrong.

btw I find the idea that those willing to kill a million would balk at 3000 naive.

I love the random capitalization: it’s like Jack Kerouac meets Homer Simpson. Do they teach that in moron wingnut school?

manifest destiny, alive and appalling.

No..I started using Ramdon Capitalization when I Began Writing Poetry..Like My Poem That I called “September Storm” about the Terrorist Attacks on The Twin Towers and The Pentagon..which has been Published here on NQ..

I also use It When Writing Poems for my Grandson, Whose Navy Seal Dad was killed on Active Duty just before Ricky was Born..

I am in the Process now…of writing a Poem About My Navy Sea Bee Brother in Law “JJ”..Who had His Eye Blown Out in Nam by an IED..but Went Back to Nam after Recovering..because as He Told me..

“Thats Where My Team Was..”

Guess I Am just a “Patriotic Poet”..and thats My Style..

You seem to be of the opinion that we are killing a lot of terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Philippines, …and that we are only killing terrorists. But there aren’t a million terrorists in the whole world, yet about a million people in Iraq alone are dead as a result of our war. That’s not fighting terrorism: that’s murder.

I’m not pro muslim, I think it’s a loathsome religion and I’d support deporting every muslim in America (not going to happen, obviously) and I believe in keeping a close eye on what they are up to here. The US has by and large been extremely successful in doing so. And it could have been more successful: the US certainly had the intelligence to prevent 9/11.

There were no terrorists from Afghanistan or Iraq involved in 9/11: the 9/11 terrorists were overwhelmingly Saudis. And 9/11 wasn’t just plotted in Afghanistan, but in Germany and here in the US. Do you support blowing up people in Germany and America too? I’m betting not.
Starting wars that kill literally millions of civilians totally uninvolved with terrorists and calling it justified is evil. And it sounds a whole lot like terrorism.

Nom…Thanks for you comments..and expressing them in the manner of a Civil debate..

I DID not agree with The Bush policy regarding Iraq.. and supported Larrys arguments against Bush /Chenys Invasion there too..Wrong war, Wrong Time, Wrong Place..Wrong REASONS..and I understand your feelings about the Terrible Cost in Un~Necessary Lifes Lost and Injured..and people Displaced..

I also agree that 9/11 Was Preventable..and have said so here on NQ Many times in the Past..That was the Failure of Our Politicians and Bureaucrats and more BAD Policy..and Actions..Due to FAILURE at the Top..

The AlQuaeda operations were Financed and Plotted and APPROVED by Bin Laden in Afghanistan..What his Agents have done in Germnany.sPain,England..Africa..E Asia..and the United States..are Terrorist Operation ..mostly against CIVILIAN Targets
of ALL Types..

Besides Those MURDERS…The Terrorist actions have placed terrilbe financial Burdens and Costs on People all over the world..

Those Plotters/Financers are still a necessary Target of the United States and Other nations..

They Started a real war..just like Japan and Germany did..and their were massive Civilian Casualtys in those wars too..

No..we dont need to Bomb Germany again..or England..They are NOT responsible..

I agree with your thoughts about the game theSaudis Play…and I’m Convinced they could have ended ALL this a long time ago by sending Agents to KILL Bin Laden…which I am convinced the Sudis are capable of doing..as well as Knowing where Bin laden is..

Yes..War is Hell..sometimes it is necessary and justified..

WW2 prevented We Americans and the Europeans from Speaking German..or having to uniformly “HEIL” anyone..and still having a republic and Constitution that Allows for “Free Choice”of religion and Free Speech..against all forms of Tyrrany..

The Kind we SEE and are Opposing now..In Our Own politicalsystem here in America..and in the Political systems of other World Oppressors…..Especially those Determined to carry Out a “Holy War” to convert the whole world to Islam..through terrorist and military Acts..

DON”T Tread on Me…

Very disappointing…. Just can’t believe that No quarters would carry water for the Kagans. Oh the shame….