Elect a president like Obama who actually takes national security and the defense of America seriously and the results tend to follow.
‘This type of radical fundamentalism or terrorism is a threat not only to the United States but to the global community,’ Jones said. ‘The world is coming together on this matter now that President Obama has taken the leadership on it and is approaching it in a slightly different way – actually a radically different way – to discuss things with other rulers to enhance the working relationships with law enforcement agencies – both national and international.’
Jones said that ‘we are seeing results that indicate more captures, more deaths of radical leaders and a kind of a global coming-together by the fact that this is a threat to not only the United States but to the world at-large and the world is moving toward doing something about it.’
The best way to use this to make the Bushies and the BushLites mad is to not appear the least bit surprised.
“we don’t care, Liz Cheney is cool”-cable news and sunday show bookers
Jim Jones haz teh libruls drinkin the Kool-aid.
It can’t go lower, can it? Surely this is the floor.
It has to be, right?
Rasmussen: Obama Ratings at All-Time Low, May Fall Further
Public opinion pollster Scott Rasmussen tells Newsmax that opposition to President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform plan is “weighing down” his job approval rating — which is now at an all-time low.
Rasmussen also declared that if the economy does not improve over the next year, Obama’s approval numbers will deteriorate even further and Democrats will suffer in the 2010 elections. …
Public opinion pollster Scott Rasmussen tells Newsmax
What could possibly be wrong?
Dennis, are you ever going to post something that’s at all pertinent?
That said, this is what it looks like when adults are in charge of national defense and foreign policy.
I knew the second I saw the headline on Drudge, Oliver would be all over it. I also knew that the headline would have little to nothing to do with the actual story. Color me surprised…
So, to summarize, not only can they not provide data to back up their claim, but they’re not even collecting it?!? And you’re buying this?????
You know, you chickenhawks were wetting yourselves with the idiotic argument that Bush should “get credit” for not having a second 9/11.
Will you apply the same standards to Obama after his eight years in office? (Of course not.)
I see that Dennis, after being conclusively shown to be a fool in the last thread, is reduced to playing bare-assed deflectionism in this one…
It can’t go lower, can it?
Sure, even assuming Rasmussen is somewhere close to correct (yuk yuk yuk!) he could plunge another 20 points and still be higher than Bush. He could drop another 30 points and still be higher than congressional Republicans.
But back to the matter at hand:
…I knew that the headline would have little to nothing to do with the actual story….
The gods of unintentional irony are smiling because you wrote that, SaveFarris.
The general has learned how to toe the party line. Compare his claims (which he admits he can’t prove) with Obama’s repeated claims to jobs “created or saved.”
…and how many people touting this also insisted that Bush’s claims that his policies prevented any more terrorist attacks on the US were unfounded and unprovable?
And someone else noted a rather odd turn of phrase in the general’s words…
“The world is coming together on this matter now that President Obama has taken the leadership on it and is approaching it in a slightly different way – actually a radically different way – to discuss things with other rulers to enhance the working relationships with law enforcement agencies – both national and international.”
Looks like Obama has another title to wear…
J.
“and how many people touting this also insisted that Bush’s claims that his policies prevented any more terrorist attacks on the US were unfounded and unprovable?”
Actually, the argument goes that if Bush kept us safe from 9/12/2001 to the end of his administration, then he effectively “owns” 9/11.
But Republicans have a hard time parsing simple sentences such as “BIN LADEN DETERMINED TO STRIKE WITHIN U.S.”
Shut up, Jaim. You don’t speak until your ruler gives you permission to speak.
I don’t mind ending up on the regime’s enemy list, so I’ll speak up freely, but there’s still hope for you…
J.
Try not to get sick again, Jay. I’d hate to have to pay for your health-care a second time.
I’m not worried, Jaim. You didn’t pay for it any of the times I’ve been ill, so it’s not likely you’ll start now.
Did you ever respond to my tax challenge? You post how much you paid in US income taxes in any of the last five years, and I’ll post how much I paid in all of the last five years.
Here’s a teaser: every single year, I paid well in excess of that amount you are so obsessed over, you vapid twit.
…and I missed the memo where the Bush was warned “Bin Laden plans to hijack four jet liners and crash them into buildings.”
And what could have been done, anyway? Start racially profiling groups of 3-5 Arab men traveling together on flights?
J.
While it’s certainly good news if true, that particular story is too vague and speculative to have any actual meaning at all. It’s no surprise to hear the Government praising the job it’s doing.
“Did you ever respond to my tax challenge?”
I’ll get right on it, sparky. Putting up my tax information on the internet is like, the totally smartest idea you’ve ever had.
Fact is, you benefited from “socialist” health care. Simple as that. I paid for it. Millions of other Americans paid for it. And you’re a goddamn hypocrite for failing to admit it.
Oh, and you’re a moron, but you already knew that.
“and I missed the memo where the Bush was warned ‘Bin Laden plans to hijack four jet liners and crash them into buildings.’”
Really? Because it’s right here, dated August 6, 2001:
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/04/10/august6.memo/
Personally, I don’t blame Bush directly for 9/11. However, he surrounded himself with incompetents who were more interested in advancing the GOP agenda than actually keeping us safe. Condoleeza Rice? She got promoted.
Then again, this is George “Heck of a job, Brownie” that we’re talking about, and whom you’ll be defending to your dying day like the party apparatchik you are.
Jaim, next time post a link that actually says what you says it does. Hijackings? Check. Attacks on federal buildings? Check. Kamikazes into privately-owned skyscrapers?
Check.As far as your obsession with my health crisis… what did you pay for taxes in 1994? Round it off.
Let’s see… you were 16 when Chelsea Clinton first attended Sidwell Friends, which was in 1993. That means you were not even 18 when I was hospitalized in the spring of 1994, so that would make your taxes paid for my care to be… um… carry the seven… round up…
Jack shit.
http://wetcasements.wordpress.com/2008/11/09/edumacation/
Find a new whining point, dipshit. You done hanged yourself on this one.
J.
Dammit, I screwed up the coding AGAIN…
Jaim, next time post a link that actually says what you says it does. Hijackings? Check. Attacks on federal buildings? Check. Kamikazes into privately-owned skyscrapers?
Check.As far as your obsession with my health crisis… what did you pay for taxes in 1994? Round it off.
Let’s see… you were 16 when Chelsea Clinton first attended Sidwell Friends, which was in 1993. That means you were not even 18 when I was hospitalized in the spring of 1994, so that would make your taxes paid for my care to be… um… carry the seven… round up…
Jack shit.
http://wetcasements.wordpress.com/2008/11/09/edumacation/
Find a new whining point, dipshit. You done hanged yourself on this one.
Haha! I can just picture the spittle you’re launching onto your screen as you impotently flail away on your keyboard, dipshit.
Keep up the nice work though. Your acts of self-beclowning provide me with no end of amusement.
You benefited from tax-payer provided health-care. Period.
And if a 9/11 style event happens under Obama’s watch (god forbid), you’ll be the first to blame him for everything. But somehow 9/11 itself was nobody’s fault, no sir. Not the greatest terrorist strike on domestic soil ever. Not the greatest blunder of the American intelligence agencies ever.
As we all know in the immortal words of George W. Bush, bein’ president is HARD WORK! How dare anyone hold him or anyone in his administration accountable for what actually happened! Dammit, not only will we not hold them accountable, we’ll promote everyone involved! That’ll show the terrorists!
In a nutshell, Jaim, (which is where you belong), the current system saved my life.
You want to destroy that system and replace it with one that is doomed to fail. And you are doing so from halfway around the world, meaning that you won’t have to live with it or help pay for it.
You are cordially invited to STFU on the subject, and leave it up to those who actually have to live with it.
And die by it.
J.
No, I want a flawed system to be made better (and cheaper, to be honest). But please, keep trying to invent a false dilemma.
You had your life saved for $4,000. Hard to tell why you couldn’t come up with that small amount of cash. But for most people, event hose with private insurance, medical major procedures cost upwards of $100,000. Having a baby with private insurance is about 20 Grand these days. If a person gets sick, they should pay for their treatment, but they shouldn’t have to go bankrupt and/or sell their home.
And no, I’ll never shut up. I will continually remind you and others that you are a beneficiary of the very same “socialist” health-care that you decry.
This is because you are a hypocritical loser.
Jaim, my life was saved for $4,000, of which I paid $3,000. And of which you paid dick.
And “dick” is what this has to do with Obama’s National Security Advisor making absolutely unsubstantiated and unverifiable claims, and Oliver touting the sheer truthiness of it all.
J.
Man, I almost had to take a bath after reading that article because I was so deep into the bullshit. Clearly, the General is just repeating what he is being told to say and nothing he says is backed up. Look at the language.
“…we are seeing results that indicate…”
“…there is an increasing trend…”
“…the trend line against terrorism is positive…”
Is the guy giving us a stock report or telling us about what the President is doing to fight terrorism? Jay Tea is right in that this sounds like the “created or saved” language because it allows for the administration to claim “victory” for something without actually having to prove what it is they’re doing.
If they truly had the numbers and names to back up their statements, they’d have it out there for all to see. It isn’t that difficult to provide the public with the names of the supposed terrorist leaders they’ve killed or captured.
“it allows for the administration to claim ‘victory’ for something without actually having to prove what it is they’re doing”
Bush claimed credit for having one 9/11 instead of two. I agree it’s a bit disingenuous, but there is a definite precedent.
Seems to me Gen. Jones’ opinions, uncorroborated though they may be, have far more credibility than Cheney’s recent statements regarding the effectiveness of torture (which pertinent documentation fails to corroborate).
Our right-wing friends seem to think what Cheney says is gospel, yet are ready to shit all over the judgment of someone who is definitely _not_ a chickenhawk and a partisan political tool.
Once again, Jaim is reduced to “the Bush administration was the most worstest in history, and the Obama administration is in some, barely-measurable way, the tiniest bit better, even though they’re following many of the same policies and procedures.”
How’s that Hopey-Changey thing working out for you folks?
Don’t worry. If it’s a real problem, Obama will just circumvent the Constitutional system of checks and balances and appoint a czar to run it.
J.
“barely-measurable way”
9/11 killed 3,000 people. I’d call that quite “measurable.”
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up, Wilbur. An Obama appointee has an opinion that he can’t back up with a single fact — that’s this entire story.
Yawn.
J.
I agree it’s a bit disingenuous, but there is a definite precedent.
Not at all. The precedent is to have ongoing updates about progress with names and numbers. Every time alQaida promoted someone to #2, we’d end up capturing them a couple weeks later. Democrats, of course, made light of this. But lost on them was that there was a constant stream of updates as to what we were doing and who we were capturing.
NOW, it’s all hide the ball and “take our word for it”, with no corroborating evidence. Your “Most Transparent Administration Ever” in action, I suppose…
Jaim’s starting to sound like a Rudy Giuliani speech…
And not a particularly good one.
J.
Thanks for the reminder, Ferris. I remember joking at one point that “Al Qaeda’s number two man” was rapidly becoming a replacement for “drummer for Spinal Tap.”
Ah, the good old days…
J.
regarding the effectiveness of torture (which pertinent documentation fails to corroborate).
Actually, it did corroborate it.
yet are ready to shit all over the judgment of someone who is definitely _not_ a chickenhawk and a partisan political tool.
Huh? All I am saying is that he’s presenting these “facts” without anything to support it. That’s not a reflection on him, but rather the administration who’s clearly directing him on what to say.
And I don’t want any lectures about “shitting on” people after the way the left treated people like General Tommy Franks and General David Petraeus (or as the left called him, David “Betray Us.”) for the last 8 years.
So Jay1 and Jay2, are you saying General Jones is lying? That seems to be what you are saying.
But lost on them was that there was a constant stream of updates as to what we were doing and who we were capturing.
But no constant updates on how many terrorists we were creating through the incompetent Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld bungling in Iraq and Afghanistan.
So Jay1 and Jay2, are you saying General Jones is lying? That seems to be what you are saying.
No, I am not saying he’s lying at all. For him to be lying he’d have to know that what he was saying was untrue and say it anyway.
What I am saying is that I don’t believe what he’s throwing out there because he’s not providing any information to support his contention. If the administration is going to be as transparent as they promised, then tell us who, where and when. Who are they capturing and killing? Where are they doing it? When did it happen?
Clearly, the General is just repeating what he is being told to say and nothing he says is backed up.
You’re accusing an American general of “just following orders”?
Why do you hate the troops?
We killed the leader of the Taliban.
That is the first real success we have had in the “War on Terror”.
Before september 11 of his first term, Obama has accomplished more than W did his entire 8 years and this without torturing anyone.
Wow, that is going to leave a mark.
he’d have to know that what he was saying was untrue.
As NSA he would know whether or not there is evidence for improvement. He is saying there is. If you “don’t believe what he’s throwing out there…” then you believe he is lying.
And I don’t want any lectures about “shitting on” people after the way the left treated people like General Tommy Franks and General David Petraeus (or as the left called him, David “Betray Us.”) for the last 8 years.
Congratulations: you’re no better than them.
Actually, it did corroborate it
No, it didn’t.
So Jay1 and Jay2, are you saying General Jones is lying? That seems to be what you are saying.
He offered an opinion. For him to be lying, he’d have to be representing an opinion he didn’t sincerely hold. I’m not saying that.
I’m saying that his opinion is not only unsupported by facts, but he says it’s not supportable by facts.
“Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one, but very few people are interested in seeing others’.”
J.
As NSA he would know whether or not there is evidence for improvement.
You would THINK, but … not so much. Again, let me requote from the article:
elspi, Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed.
Jay Tea, don’t forget, a Republican mistake is a lie. So a Republican claiming that a Democrat made a mistake is claiming the Democrat is lying.
SaveFarris
Was that Osama bin Laden you said? No, I didn’t think so.
elspi, Obama captured Osama bin Ladin?
You’d have thought that would have made the papers…
Elspi, “a” Taliban leader was killed, not “the” Taliban leader so get a grip on the chest thumping.
As NSA he would know whether or not there is evidence for improvement. He is saying there is. If you “don’t believe what he’s throwing out there…” then you believe he is lying.
No Wilbur, if he threw out numbers and I said, “He’s full of it.” then I would believe he was lying. I’m sorry but claims like this cannot be made without some verifiable evidence to support it.
Congratulations: you’re no better than them.
Actually, I am much better than them. Far better. All I want to see is some data to support the claim. That is all. The left, along with Moveon.org basically called General Petraeus a traitor and did similar work with Tommy Franks. It was a disgrace.
No, it didn’t.
Yes, it did. Read the CIA IG report.
You mean Tommy Franks, who totally fucked up the invasion of Iraq leading to the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis and then topped it off by pimping for Bush at the 2004 GOP convention? That Tommy Franks?
The left, along with Moveon.org basically called General Petraeus a traitor
“The left” along with Moveon? I knew Moveon ran their stupid newspaper ad. Who else was involved?
Well, Quaker, the New York Times gave them a bargain-basement rate on that ad — such a bargain that they had to go back and (I think) triple it to make it “normal”-priced.
Toss in the Democratic Senators who told Petraeus before he said word one that they didn’t believe him, and you got yourself quite a little cabal…
J.
You know, you chickenhawks were wetting yourselves with the idiotic argument that Bush should “get credit” for not having a second 9/11.
Not only that, they think Bush shouldn’t be blamed for the first one.
Who else was involved?
The Left©?
I thought norbuziness was done.
elspi, Obama captured Osama bin Ladin?
You’d have thought that would have made the papers…
You mean NOW that matters to you?
Wilbur don’t bother trying to argue with “loophole” jay about what CIA documents/reports do or don’t corroborate. jay is a guy who will say the dictionary is wrong in order to try and win an argument.
Dammit, not only will we not hold them accountable, we’ll promote everyone involved! That’ll show the terrorists!
Medals of Freedom for everyone!
As NSA he would know whether or not there is evidence for improvement. He is saying there is. If you “don’t believe what he’s throwing out there…” then you believe he is lying.
Also, as NSA, he doesn’t have to tell you shit.
Our wingnut friends, since they want Obama to fail on all fronts even if it means more American lives lost, simply can’t believe that his policy has been effective, so they assume, on no factual basis, that Jones is lying, or simply “repeating what he’s told to say”. Either assertion is pretty disrespectful for a career military man with an exemplary record of service to his country.
Oh, Wilbur, Wilbur, Wilbur…
1) “We” don’t wish for Obama to fail, so the country fails. We listen to his agenda, see it as disastrous for the nation, and hope he fails in implementing it so the nation doesn’t fail.
B) “We” don’t have to hope for Obama to fail. He’s doing just fine in that regard on his own.
III) Obama is NOT the nation. “L’etat, c’est moi” went out of fashion a few centuries ago.
d) Jones asserted an opinion, and clearly stated that no evidence exists to support it. Yeah, he has bright shiny stars to back up his opinion, but guess what? Experts ain’t perfect.
J.
Jones asserted an opinion, and clearly stated that no evidence exists to support it. Yeah, he has bright shiny stars to back up his opinion, but guess what? Experts ain’t perfect.
Jay Tea, please cite the exact sentence in which Jones said “no evidences exists to support” his opinion.
English, my pleasure:
The former Marine General didn’t provide any specific numbers to back up his claim, but he said “there is an increasing trend and I think we seen that in different parts of the world over the last few months for sure.” He added that he was not “making a tally sheet saying we are killing more people, capturing more people than they did — that is not the issue.”
No tally sheet to refer to, but an increasing trend. Sure.
Like I said a lot earlier: this
smellssounds like Obama’s claims of hundreds of thousands of jobs “saved or created.” Big, impressive claim, not a shred of proof (even anecdotal) to back it up.He’s got a ways to go before he’s a convincing mouthpiece for his ruler.
J.
No tally sheet to refer to, but an increasing trend. Sure.
But Jay Tea, he didn’t say there was “no tally sheet to refer to.” Did he?
He said that himself was not keeping a tally sheet.
That’s a big difference. Don’t you think? He’s not saying that there is nothing to tally, he’s just saying he’s not keeping specific track of it. But the trend is positive.
In other words, your characterization of Jones statement was false and misleading. Not to mention really very illogical.
Who, in their right mind, would ever say that there is “no evidence” to support what they’re saying. The answer is obvious. No one would.
It’s enough to say that Jones was being vague. But then again, so was Dick Cheney, whose comments Jones was responding to.
I don’t know why you felt the need to mislead on top of it.
English, you’re literally correct. But the IMPLICATION is that, as far as he knows, no tally sheet exists. Otherwise, he’s engaging in Clinton-level evasive language:
“I’m not keeping a tally sheet, but my aides are doing so at my direction, and that’s my proof.”
Bullshit. Bureaucrats thrive on statistics. Every single datum the government has ever had its fingers on is indexed, correlated, charted, measured, and massaged. Someone somewhere is keeping just such a list. Jones could have his hands on it in minutes if he wanted to. That he is casually denying its existence is a very strong indicator that it does not say what he wishes it said.
J.
We haven’t had any 9/11’s under Obama. According to wing-nut logic, this makes our current prez a genius on national defense.
Your metric Jay.
English, you’re literally correct.
Which means you’re literally wrong, doesn’t it?
Jaim, you wanna play that dipshit game? Fine.
It ain’t September 11, 2009 yet.
And English, you remind me of the old joke about the helicopter flying in dense fog…
Speaking literal truth while giving a false impression is a classic form of lying. Bill Clinton didn’t invent it, but he is a master of it.
J.
So there are nine days left for your McVeigh-like fantasies to come true, Jay. Touching.
Well, Jaim, you can’t read a calendar, but you can subtract 1 from 11. Looks like your parents didn’t waste all the money they spent sending you to such prestigious schools…
As for the gist of your comment there… as usual, it’s as despicable as it is incorrect. In other words, typical Jaim.
J.
It’s 9/2 on this side of the world, Scooter.
But I look forward to you heaping praise on Obama for being better than Bush on national defense come 9/12.
You’re the one who kept making the pointless comparison, Jaim. The best I thought might happen is you’d drop it for at least ten days.
Foolish hope, I admit. It would have required you to show the slightest bit of intelligence.
J.
You’re the one who dismissed 9/11 as no big deal, simply because a Republican was in charge rather than a Democratic one.
What an interesting universe you dwell in, Jaim. Does one need a passport to visit it? And do you need a day pass to leave it on your occasional visits to reality?
J.
Nope, just reading the gibberish you spouted in this very thread.
http://www.oliverwillis.com/2009/08/31/natl-security-adviser-jim-jones-more-success-terrorists-killedcaptured-under-obama/#comment-174885
Your fellow GOP loons continually lauded Bush for keeping us safe between 9/12/2001 and the end of his term. I’m simply stating that by this metric, Obama is doing a fantastic job when it comes to national security, but you are incapable of understanding this due to the mixture of partisan hackery and racism that defines you.
Obviously we can’t know the full measure of a president until his term is over (as for Bush, it’s clear he was a complete disaster on all issues domestic and foreign). But I’m not one of the bed-wetters like you who constantly howled “WE HAVEN’T BEEN HIT AGAIN!” as Bush moved further and further into incompetence, failure, and outright scorn from the American people.
I can’t believe anyone is paying you based on your English skills.
1) I never specifically mentioned 9/11 in this thread — YOU brought that up.
B) I didn’t say the Bush administration was the best ever, merely mocked those who say it was the worst.
III) The point you’re so desperately trying to bury is that, in many critical ways, so far Obama is acting as if he’s carrying out Bush’s 3rd term.
d) Your standard ploy of turning the argument from the topic at hand to something where you think you have some kind of “FTW!” edge is getting more and more transparent, and more and more tiresome.
J.
You asked for concrete evidence that Obama has been more succesful than Bush when it comes to national security. I gave it to you, despite you having your fingers in your ears and screaming “Nah Nah Nah!”
The Bush Administration was easily one of the worst ever. It will have to duel with Hoover on this, but historians (real historians, not “historians” like Jonah Goldberg) are not going to be kind to Flightsuit.
“The point you’re so desperately trying to bury is that, in many critical ways, so far Obama is acting as if he’s carrying out Bush’s 3rd term.”
World leaders respect Obama even if they don’t agree with him. I’d say that’s a major step up from Bush, who was an international laughingstock (and tried to molest the leader of Germany).
“tiresome”
Say the guy up at four in the morning trolling a liberal webite. Uh-huh.
World leaders respect Obama even if they don’t agree with him.
How’s our relationship with the UK lately, Jaim? Or Israel? Is Russia being especially respectful? How about China?
Libya’s laughing its ass off right now.
You kept pointing out that Obama hasn’t had a 9/11 so far in his administration. I finally got sick of you repeating that, so I noted that, at the same point in his administration, neither had Bush. My hope was that you’d shut up about it for at least a week or so.
Oh, and you apparently missed the memo from General Jones. The current phrase isn’t “world leaders.” It’s Obama and his “fellow rulers.”
J.
“How’s our relationship with the UK lately, Jaim?”
Excellent.
“Or Israel?”
I doubt they’re going to stop cashing our checks.
“Is Russia being especially respectful?”
I don’t like Putin. Bush “looked into his eyes and saw his soul,” however, so what do I know.
“How about China?”
China is happily positioning itself to be the next great economic power in the world. It may or may not happen due to internal strife. Not sure what you’re trying to get at here.
“Libya’s laughing its ass off right now.”
Actually, Khadaffi desperately wants his country to be taken seriously before he dies. It might happen. Might not.
“You kept pointing out that Obama hasn’t had a 9/11 so far in his administration. I finally got sick of you repeating that, so I noted that, at the same point in his administration, neither had Bush. My hope was that you’d shut up about it for at least a week or so.”
No sparky, here’s what happened: You said there’s no way to measure Obama vs. Bush’s national security/foreign policies. I said there was. 3,000 American civilians died under Bush’s watch. But you don’t think this is a big deal living in your mom’s basement, trolling lib sites at 4 in the A.M.
Your obsession with me is rather selective there, Sparky. You remember my health crisis from when you were a school kid, but not that my mother’s been dead for nigh on 20 years. But back on topic:
You said there’s no way to measure Obama vs. Bush’s national security/foreign policies.
Bullshit. I said that Jones’ statement is unproven, and he cheerfully says he can’t/won’t even try to.
Also, Obama has quietly adopted so many of Bush’s national security policies — including several he ran against. I personally find it slightly reassuring, but the facts that 1) he’s doing it while refusing to admit it and B) so many of his supporters are in such stark denial about it both amuse and trouble me.
Much like yourself — I am amused by your antics, but troubled that you are an “ambassador” of America to a key ally.
J.
Here’s what you wrote up-thread Jay:
“Once again, Jaim is reduced to ‘the Bush administration was the most worstest in history, and the Obama administration is in some, barely-measurable way, the tiniest bit better, even though they’re following many of the same policies and procedures.’”
I’m giving you facts as to how the Obama administration so far has been demonstrably better than the Bush administration, not to mention it hasn’t started and failed to finish two different wars.
Here’s another fact: Bush used the terror alerts for political purposes.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/08/ridge_accuses_b.html
If Obama raises us to Code Red or whatever before the 2010 mid-terms, I’ll happily criticize him for doing so.
As I’ve said before, Bush doesn’t deserve all the blame for 9/11. But the fact that nobody was punished? That people were, shockingly, promoted in the wake of the greatest terrorist strike on American soil ever?
You can see why nobody believes you when you try and argue Bush and Obama are “just the same.” The families of 3,000 victims certainly don’t.
“troubled that you are an ‘ambassador’ of America to a key ally.”
You couldn’t hack it here Jay. Too many foreigners for your taste.
Jaim, Jaim, Jaim…
Ridge has walked back from that. Turns out it was his publisher hyping his book, and someone noticed that the terror alert status in the time frame discussed NEVER CHANGED. So the whole “Bush manipulated the terror alert status for political gain” is complete and utter
Jaimbullshit.As far as facts go… the only one you’ve cited is “Obama hasn’t has a 9/11 so far.” Oh, and you think that other countries just love Obama.
Russia’s walking all over him. 4% of Israelis think Obama’s on their side. Britain (after repeated disses by Obama, including his little games with Bermuda) just let the Lockerbie bomber go. China’s yanking our economic chain. Japan’s quietly boosting their own military capabilities. Canada and Mexico got pissed when Obama mouthed off about trashing NAFTA.
And how about that “real” war, the important one, in Afghanistan, anyway?
“the only one you’ve cited is ‘Obama hasn’t has a 9/11 so far.’”
This is exactly the metric used by you and fellow wing-nuts to judge Bush as his plans for Iraq and Afghanistan blew up in his face. “We haven’t been attacked again!” (Although you guys forgot about the anthrax attacks as well.)
Personally, I think you have to judge a presidency on the complete picture (which is pretty damn ugly for Bush by any standard). It was wing-nuts like yourself who lowered the bar so much for a successful presidency (”Only 3,000 civilians killed under a GOP president! Vote John McCain!”).
You don’t get to turn around and criticize Obama for — what exactly? He inherited two clusterfucks in the form of Iraq and Afghanistan, and he’s had less than a year to try and improve them. (IMO, Afghanistan is starting to look like more of a nightmare than Iraq ever was, but we’ll see.)
So I apologize if my irony was lost on you.
“Russia’s walking all over him.”
Please explain. And please compare to Bush shaking hands with Putin and “looking into his soul.”
“Britain (after repeated disses by Obama, including his little games with Bermuda) just let the Lockerbie bomber go.”
Lockerbie was an attack over British soil. It’s really their business as to what they did with the guy. And if I’m not mistaken, he’s dying of cancer, so I doubt he’ll be involved in another plot any time soon.
“China’s yanking our economic chain.”
And has been doing so for a while now. It’s no secret China might emerge as one of the largest players in the global economy. And without them we wouldn’t be able to buy cheap shit at Wal-Mart. So, what’s your point? Americans would rather buy cheap shit at Wal-Mart than worry about human rights abuses in the PRC.
“Japan’s quietly boosting their own military capabilities.”
Again, what’s your point? It’d be a good thing for this to happen so we wouldn’t have to spend billions on staging troops there. I really doubt Emperor Hirohito has too many followers these days. This is a good thing for America.
“Canada and Mexico got pissed when Obama mouthed off about trashing NAFTA.”
Hmm. A few angry Mexicans and Canadians, or smoking piles of rubble at the Pentagon and the WTC? Gee, you’re right. OBAMA IS JUST AS BAD AS BUSH!!!
There’s no other way to put this — you’re a fucking idiot.
There’s no other way to put this — you’re a fucking idiot.
Oh, I can think of a dozen other ways to put it. That you are so limited is a shameful reflection on your parents, your alma mater, and your credentials.
You really DO sound like Rudy Giuliani. “”There’s only three things [Giuliani] says in a sentence: a noun, a verb and 9/11.”
The issue was foreign policy, and how other nations see us. Your response? “9/11!”
Lockerbie was a terrorist attack on an American airliner that killed 270 people — 169 of whom were Americans. One of whom was the brother of a blog-friend of mine. So it was NOT none of our business.
And he’s dying of cancer? Really? Says who? The Scottish government won’t even say who diagnosed him, apart from a Libyan doctor brought in. He’s looked pretty damned healthy, right up until someone got a clue and stuck him in a bed with an oxygen mask. He still had his glasses on, and some have noted that prostate cancer seldom puts the patient on oxygen, but hey — at least they’re pretending like it might be legit.
“A few angry Mexicans and Canadians…” Nice way to refer to our two closest neighbors, biggest trading partners, and co-owners of our unfortified borders.
No, Obama hasn’t had a 9/11 so far. And, like any sane American (give it a try some time — both parts), I hope he doesn’t.
But at this point, neither did Bush.
Here’s hoping we can say “Obama hasn’t had a 9/11″ for the rest of his term.
And here’s hoping he figures out this whole foreign policy thing before too long.
J.
“Fucking idiot” is as accurate a description as I could come up with at the time. And it fits. So I’ll stick with it.
You haven’t even tried to refute any of my arguments because you can’t.
And here’s Tom Ridge, back-pedaling on his back-pedaling:
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/ridge-wants-to-change-untrustworthy-jacket-on-his-book.php?ref=fpblg