The Mistake That Would Ruin Barack Obama’s Presidency–UPDATED
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009Bailouts won’t break Obama–even horrible, pork-laden, bloated, tax-payer beating bailouts. A bleak, miserable, suffering depression wouldn’t sink Obama. Paying women for their embryos, creating human-monkey hybrids and sending them to Mars to start a new society wouldn’t sink Obama. No, people expect a little crazy, a lot of fat, and government salvation during economic difficulty from Democrats.
There is one weak spot, though. If America were to be hit with another terrorist attack, especially after Obama appears weak or makes decisions that weaken America’s defense, President Barack Obama’s star will sink faster than the Titanic.
Right now, the president is making bold declarations like crafting a law that will ban space weapons. This is laughable. First, everyone knows that countries like China and Russia will not abide by any space ban. Second, Obama looks weak. There are a couple ways, besides nuclear and conventional warfare and now, terrorism, to destroy societies. Space, microbial, and technological warfare are the new, exciting ways to kill. Ignoring that people will use these ways whether America does or not, is folly. Does Obama want to disarm an America at war?
While few people want to think about it, the fact is that the Twin Towers going down is seared into the American consciousness. It is the fear that not be named these days, but it’s still there, nonetheless. Americans might have disliked President Bush for a variety of reasons, but few would argue that he wasn’t doing everything in his power to protect American. And most would acknowledge that defense is the first, most important job of the President.
If Obama goofs around with Guantanamo, talks of Space weapons bans, cuts military funding while Iranian ships are being found to have huge weapons caches going to…terrorists, revises wire-tapping standards of foreigners to gather intelligence, sanctimoniously decries rather benign forms of coercion that would save lives, makes his first interview to Arab TV and then America is hit by a terrorist attack, his Presidency will be over. He will ride out his years in office in shame.
The Left would defend Obama’s “humane” policies and be proud of a President who respected civil liberties, but Americans generally would heap the man in scorn. President Bush managed to keep Americans safe for years after 9/11. It wasn’t because we weren’t attacked again or because terrorist weren’t trying to do harm, because they were. It’s because President Bush woke up every day single-minded of purpose: to protect and defend.
If Americans perceive that Obama isn’t infused with the same passion and clarity of vision, if they believe that Obama is weak, and then America is attacked and lives are lost, Obama’s presidency will go down in flames literal and figurative. As Obama knows, perception is everything. It’s what got him elected. It could also undo him.
UPDATE:
Ed Morrissey calls Obama “naive” and this is why:
Unlike some others, I didn’t mind Obama’s decision to grant al-Arabiya this honor. Obama has a great deal of popularity in the Muslim world, and that can be a great asset to the US if used properly. Obama could have taken the opportunity to explain some hard truths while extending the hand of friendship. Instead, he took the opportunity to pander.
I agree. People won’t mind Obama reaching out, if he comes from strength. Appeasing language and a mushy stance, though, will all come back to haunt him should it become clear that the terrorists didn’t take him seriously enough.
Cross-posted at Right Wing News
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Know–UPDATED
Thursday, January 15th, 2009How big of a deal is it that there are gay people serving in the military? From Repurblican:
There are Americans of many stars and stripes that are in our Armed Forces, and among the many things President-elect Obama could do to really attack our Services — such as characterizing military operations in Afghanistan as “air-raiding villages”, promising to cut tens of billions from defense spending potentially totaling up to 25% of its current budget, etc. — the extinguishment of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, in my book, ranks low on the list of possible slights.
Anything that interferes with military effectiveness shouldn’t be encouraged, in my opinion. For example, I don’t find it problematic that women are in the service. However, if they can’t carry a load or slow down their brothers-in-arms, that’s a problem. Political correctness should NOT have any place in the military. Lives are at stake and lives depend on trust, reliability and ability to do the job.
I have a feeling that there are going to be many things to fight with Barack Obama about when it comes to the military. I’m just not sure if Republicans should make removing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy one of them.
Cross-posted at RightWingNews
UPDATE:
Former military man and Austin blogger Robbie Cooper has some thoughts:
Rescinding the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy will adversely affect recruiting — at a time when our nation is fighting to wars, and is engaged with a global Islamic threat that is not going away any time soon.
up to 10% of our current troops won’t re-enlist. Countless other Conservative and Christian men and women (again — the core demographic of our military) might not choose to enlist because of this policy.
Russian Spy A “Disaster” For NATO
Sunday, November 16th, 2008Russian Spy A “Disaster” For NATO
But, but, I thought we were friends with Russia…
Mandatory Civil Service
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008Rahm Emmanuel has some ideas about what to do with America’s youth. Remember when Bush took office and the Left kvetched incessantly about a draft or mandatory military service? What they accuse others of…..
Can you say indoctrination?
Europe Protects Baby Seals, We Protect Europe
Thursday, July 24th, 2008The latest, urgent crisis to grip the European Union, and of course, a commission is needed to enforce the rules. From the BBC:
Trade in seal products would be allowed only where they came with guarantees that the animals did not suffer unnecessarily.
A certification scheme would be established including, if necessary, a distinctive label or mark, showing that a seal-trading country met strict conditions.
And all that I can think is that Europe has the luxury of fretting over baby seals because they’re secure in knowing that America will spend resources to protect baby Europeans should it come down to it. So why would they need a missile defense shield?
Cross-posted at Right Wing News
Yearning For Afghanistan
Thursday, July 17th, 2008
Learning to brush teeth in Afghanistan.
Oops! This was an Afghani soldier:
Afghani soldier with children
Iraq must be doing better because even the AP indirectly acknowledges it:
Spc. Grover Gebhart has spent nine months at a small post on a Sunni-Shiite fault line in western Baghdad. But the 21-year-old soldier on his first tour in Iraq feels he’s missing the real war — in Afghanistan, where his brother is fighting the Taliban.
Military officials say violence in Iraq is at its lowest point in the past four years.
With violence in Iraq at its lowest level in four years and the war in Afghanistan at a peak, the soldiers serving at patrol station Maverick say Gebhart’s view is increasingly common, especially among younger soldiers looking to prove themselves in battle.
“I’ve heard it a lot since I got here,” said 2nd Lt. Karl Kuechenmeister, a 2007 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who arrived in Iraq about a week ago.
The reporter goes on to report that only the newbies want to go back, but since anecdotes are news, I have some of my own. I corresponded via email from a soldier yesterday who was talking about serving again after taking a break after serving in Iraq. He wants to go to Afghanistan now:
And yeah, I am going back because it is getting worse. I want to do what I can to help the country. When I saw the glee in the little girls eyes when they got comic books and crayons etc after years of being refused such things, I just needed to help anyway I could.
A seasoned soldier (and if I can get his permission, I’ll use his name since he blogs, too) wants to go back and fight to help people in a 3rd world country have what we have in America. It is absolutely humbling to know that thousands of American men and women are actively choosing to serve not just America’s interests, but those of the less fortunate in the world fighting for freedom. Amazing.
Cross-posted at Right Wing News
