2009-10-04
Our Lovely Surrender Monkey
As I've said before - Obama had me fooled. I really thought he was going to throw Iraq. He had voted against it, and I saw him on TV in a debate saying that he had been given a bracelet from a mother who had said "don't let anyone else die like my son". It sounded like he was pretty passionate about deliberately throwing Iraq. I would have settled for absolutely anything. 200 special forces (like Afghanistan) plus air support is enough to ensure that no military coup or external invasion would work.
Anyway, as this article says, sometimes a rebranding is required. Not because America has done anything wrong, either. The only thing it has done wrong in recent times is to snatch territory (Kosovo) away from a liberal democracy (Serbia) to create a racist, religious-bigotted stated, going against assurances to Russia and Serbia that they would do something very different. Unbelievable. But I digress.
Anyway, so long as Obama doesn't throw Iraq, which he hasn't, I don't have a problem with Obama doing some sort of "good cop" routine. We get to keep a new member of the free world (although I had hoped to find a higher percentage of nice people there). Then Obama basically gives an apology to some of the walking wounded/paranoid of the world and they start being less of pricks.
The job in Afghanistan needs to be completed, which he is doing - raising troop levels. I'm not sure he'll be able to expand it to Pakistan - not even the tribal territories - but simply building up Afghanistan is good enough for his first term. He might surprise me by invading Iran too, but I really doubt that. If he does that, then give him another term. Otherwise, with Iraq not thrown, Afghanistan consolidated, the American people will hopefully have another opportunity to get a Republican back in power to do the real work.
Obviously if Obama can manage to get a UN resolution calling for a UN force to invade Iran and Pakistan and North Korea - then wow, man.
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Anyway, as this article says, sometimes a rebranding is required. Not because America has done anything wrong, either. The only thing it has done wrong in recent times is to snatch territory (Kosovo) away from a liberal democracy (Serbia) to create a racist, religious-bigotted stated, going against assurances to Russia and Serbia that they would do something very different. Unbelievable. But I digress.
Anyway, so long as Obama doesn't throw Iraq, which he hasn't, I don't have a problem with Obama doing some sort of "good cop" routine. We get to keep a new member of the free world (although I had hoped to find a higher percentage of nice people there). Then Obama basically gives an apology to some of the walking wounded/paranoid of the world and they start being less of pricks.
The job in Afghanistan needs to be completed, which he is doing - raising troop levels. I'm not sure he'll be able to expand it to Pakistan - not even the tribal territories - but simply building up Afghanistan is good enough for his first term. He might surprise me by invading Iran too, but I really doubt that. If he does that, then give him another term. Otherwise, with Iraq not thrown, Afghanistan consolidated, the American people will hopefully have another opportunity to get a Republican back in power to do the real work.
Obviously if Obama can manage to get a UN resolution calling for a UN force to invade Iran and Pakistan and North Korea - then wow, man.
# posted by Paul Edwards @ 09:28 
