Today on NPR I heard Obama say that the situation in Afghanistan is "critical" and that troops should be pulled out of Iraq and sent into Afghanistan. Interestingly, that means the troops will continue fighting one way or another and still won't be coming home.
In fact, Obama sounded downright war-like in this speech, every bit as war-like as Bush has been accused of being. I guess things change when you begin to get an inkling of the FACTS.
Yes, it's amazing how it happens--every time Maliki says he wants a timetable for getting US troops out of Iraq, the White House makes a call or two and suddenly there's a "statement" put out "clarifying" what Maliki said. How many more times do you think it will happen before suddenly Maliki steps down to spend more time with his family?
Rose, I supported Bush's going into Afghanistan, even if I thought he and his team were idiots who might well screw it up. I opposed invading Iraq precisely because it weakened our position in Afghanistan, proving, I guess, that Bush and his team did screw it up.
Also, rose, Obama answered your question about his "civilian national security force." I hope you're satisfied.
Yes, he answered it, but frankly, I never have believed wars should be fought with "soft power", so we are on opposite ends of the spectrum. However, I appreciate the answer.
What I don't like at all is the insult in the very first paragraph where you say: "Earlier in the week, we learned that if you take a sentence or two out of context--as the right-o-spherians are wont to do--you can "raise" all kinds of "questions," even though anyone with two brain cells to rub together knows that the "questions" are ridiculous on the face and and downright sinister upon examination."
That is a direct insult to anyone asking for clarification. Like I said, if you liberals run your families like that, you deserve all the troubles you get because what you are saying is that asking for clarification is a "no-no" and making assumptions is all right, no matter if the assumptions are correct. What a lousy way to communicate!!!
As far as I'm concerned, his words, within context or outside of context, needed clarification.
You don't like that-----TOUGH!
It's all sorta like the New Yorker recently with its miserable cover. It was meant to jab the right, and instead it bit them in the ass. All because a simple title or explanation on the front cover would have explained it to everyone as satire---- even if it was in bad taste satire.
But that's what you liberals do. Nothing ever seems to be concrete because you live in sort of an assumptive haze. Sorry, I like clarity with sunshine on everything where I can see the light and the shadows, including with words that are spoken and lines that are drawn in a cartoon---and that's even if I don't like what I'm hearing or seeing. If it's clear I can at least appreciate it.
Of course, now the liberal press is saying that "we morons" out here don't understand irony, meaning the right------but they forgot about all the leftists who didn't comrehend that sort of irony either, including Al Gore who thought the cover was waaaaaaay over the top. For once I agree with Gore.
Most of the time you liberals leave me wondering if I'm Alice Through the Looking Glass, and when I ask for directions you tell me from your ivory tower that I'm somehow ignorant. Well, nuts to you and your wishy-washy ways. That's exactly how things get continually screwed up.
No question is ever "ridiculous" as you put it. If you are a teacher and don't know that basic principle, I'm not sure how effective you could possibly be as a teacher.
I agree with you that Bush and company screwed up the aftermath of the war in Iraq, but with Obama's idea of "soft power" I doubt it will be better. In fact, it was Bush and Company that tried to use a sort of preliminary "soft power" to please you liberals that screwed the whole war up in the first place. Frankly, I wish he'd been more like Truman and gave 'em hell and brought them to their knees. AFTER that there is enough time to use "soft power", such as the U.S. did in rebuilding Germany and Japan.
To use "soft power" while a war is going on is, to my view, the height of foolishness and wishful thinking----and it seems Obama has verbalized just exactly such wishful thinking.
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