At the beginning of President Barack Obama's term, he made the following statement: "But there’s still gonna be some pain out there. If I don’t have this done in three years, then there’s gonna be a one-term proposition."
Well, it's good to see he won't be running for re-election. He began his term with veto proof majorities in the House and Senate. Let's review his major accomplishments to date:
He had Osama bin Laden killed.
And:
- Signed the NDAA - an indefinite detention bill - into law
- Waged war on Libya without congressional approval
- Started a covert, drone war in Yemen
- Escalated the proxy war in Somalia
- Escalated the CIA drone war in Pakistan
- Will maintain a presence in Iraq even after "ending" war
- Sharply escalated the war in Afghanistan
- Secretly deployed US special forces to 75 countries
- Sold $30 billion of weapons to the dictatorship in Saudi Arabia
- Signed an agreement for 7 military bases in Colombia
- Touted nuclear power, even after the disaster in Japan
- Opened up deepwater oil drilling, even after BP disaster
- Did a TV commercial promoting "clean coal"
- Defended body scans and pat-downs at airports
- Signed the Patriot Act extension into law
- Continued Bush's rendition program
We're #47! After Occupy Journalist Arrests, US Plummets in Global Press Freedom Rankings (read).
Yemen dictator allowed into the U.S. A day after he was granted immunity by the Yemeni parliament, Yemen's presumably-departing dictator of 33 years, Ali Abdullah Saleh is on his way to the U.S. for treament (read). (Comparing Yemen's Saleh to Libya's Moammar Gadhafi: Saleh killed his own people - people who peacefully protest his tyrannical reign. Gadhafi killed his own people - people who violently rose up against him. Saleh gets to enter the U.S. Gadhafi got murdered - SPFP)
10 reasons the U.S. is no longer the land of the free (read).
Has Obama taken Bush’s ‘preemption’ strategy to another level? (read).
Obama sending 5 US military officers to South Sudan (read).
The White House has declared the government of South Sudan eligible to receive weapons and defense assistance from the U.S. The announcement came amid an outbreak of violence between two South Sudanese tribes that may have left thousands dead and some 50,000 people needing aid (read).
President Obama Signs the NDAA Indefinite Detention Bill Into Law The statute contains a sweeping worldwide indefinite detention provision. “President Obama's action today is a blight on his legacy because he will forever be known as the president who signed indefinite detention without charge or trial into law,” said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU executive director (read).
Weapon's proliferation: In same week $30 billion weapon deal with Saudi Arabia is finalized, Pentagon reaches $3.5 billion weapon deal with UAE (read).
White House rejects calls for oversight on drone killings (read).
TSA spreading its wings beyond airports (read).
The Obama administration has decided in principle to allow the embattled president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to enter the United States for medical treatment (read).
National Defense Authorization Act - By signing the 'anti-terror' bill the president could end up being worse than his Republican predecessor on civil liberties (read).
The Zenith of Civil Libertarian Anger at President Obama (read).
Secrecy defines Obama's drone war (read).
Obama asks Iran to return downed U.S. surveillance drone (read). Stealth drone highlights tougher U.S. strategy on Iran (read).
Obama Promises to Label GMOs (read).
Inside Romania's secret CIA prison (read).
Obama: U.S. to expand military in Australia (read); 2,500 US Marines to be stationed in Australia (read).
Obama Administration Delays Keystone Pipeline Decision to After Election (read).
Obama's Offshore Oil Plan a Disaster for Wildlife, Climate (read).
Palestine Wins UNESCO Membership... And Obama Withdraws (read).
Obama's new war in Uganda (read).
Obama's proposal would gut Freedom of Information Act (read).
As troops pull out of Iraq, Obama plans more combat forces elsewhere in the Middle East (read).
The U.S. will maintain a presence in Iraq even after "ending" of war (read).
New Obama Foreclosure Plan Helps Banks At Taxpayers' Expense (read).
US Troop Deaths in Afghan War Under Obama Now Twice That Under Bush (read).
Obama sends 100 US combat troops to Uganda to help fight 'rebels' (read).
Obama vows to seek 'toughest’ Iran sanctions to punish Iranian officials whom he accused of complicity in an alleged plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States (read).
Obama Waives Penalties on Countries That Employ Child Soldiers – Again! (read).
U.S. drone strike in Yemen kills U.S.-born Anwar al-Awlaki. The lethal strike marked the first known case in which the Obama administration tracked down and killed a U.S. citizen. The raid also killed a second American, Samir Khan. (read). With the assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki, the due-process-free assassination of U.S. citizens is now reality (read).
Obama accomodates Turkey's request for drone aircraft in fight against Kurdish separtists (read).
Photos & videos of Bin Laden's killing should not be released because they would reveal military and intelligence secrets and could lead to violence against U.S. personnel, the Obama administration argued (read).
Obama quietly renews U.S. embargo on Cuba (read).
U.S. drones attack in souther Somalia (read).
Obama secretly sold bunker-busting bombs to Israel: report (read).
And on and on and on.......................
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/07/28/the-truth-about-obamas-budget-deficits-in-pictures/
Arthur Louis
David Brin
Boanerges1
Cenk Uygur
Kate Geiselman
J. P. Major
Salon.com
Comments
New World Order, taking away our freedom one signature at a time.
And the reason I can't say I support him. Or anyone of similar ilk.
Bought and paid for by the industrial/corporate/military complex.
Excellent list!!
Two thumbs up for adding links!!
When it comes to being militarized, well that's great. More drone attacks, more special operations, I'm all for it, and so is the majority. What I, and many other conservatives, opposed is the EXCESSIVE and stupid nation-building programs in Afghanistan and Iraq. Just kill the fuckers, don't pretend to build them schools, etc. because most of the money gets stolen anyway. Corruption is endemic and US contractors are pigs at the trough also. So Obama is right, in the opinion of the majority, to kill from a distance, and reduce the traditional nation-building footprint. The Republicans will try to position themselves to the right of Obama, but what can Romney offer...even bigger bangs than Obama? I think the people only oppose Obama on wasteful spending on big government programs like Solyndra. But as far as killing Third World bastards, and pretty little Afghan girls who get their heads blowed off, well...fuck them.
The Bible, that great document, is full of killing innocent, or quasi-innocent, people. When the Israelites were in exodus, in the desert, the Israelites that wanted to rebel against the Lord were killed. Period. That's the way the world is. You shouldn't pretend to be a left-winger about Obama's military policies. I think that if you consult your heart you will see that, as far as military policy is concerned, the Lord would approve of Obama. It's just the gay sex thing that the Lord would punish Obama for...wink
In light of Obama's involvement with Petrobras, I'm surprised he's allowing any more deep offshore drilling.
I have no problem with a big military or using a big military. If we fight, the ONLY objective should be toDESTROY the enemy. However, most of our wars are fought for interests other than our own. That is where I have a problem.
But RW...I would bet huge bucks that you; the far right; and the disappointed far left...will regret this "victory" more than any "victory" ever before.
We shall see.
And don't worry about the FEMA camps. There are so many prison spaces already that are being wasted by housing non-violent drug offenders that, if there were many arrests made in the future because of Occupy protests, the state authorities would furlough dumb drug users and pack the protesters into REAL prisons. Know why I'm right on this one? In a FEMA camp it would be just fucking liberals, hippies, protesters, etc. who would have each other for moral support. But putting them in prison and exposing them to some gigantic big buck niggers to rape their little white assholes would teach them one hell of a life-lasting lesson. So that's where the protesters will go, not some halfway decent FEMA camps. You gotta use the old bean the Lord gave you to figure out how the Man thinks...dubble wink
I don't see a choice out there.
we got the 'good guy' in office with the kind face we know already. And we got Mitt MeGreedy as the other choice.
As I see it, there is no choice. Same ole, same ole no matter which one gets it. The race to the finish line is decided. Voting for one side or the other is a exercise in futility. The way I see it.
- Waged war on Libya without congressional approval
- Started a covert, drone war in Yemen
- Escalated the proxy war in Somalia
- Escalated the CIA drone war in Pakistan
- Will maintain a presence in Iraq even after "ending" war
- Sharply escalated the war in Afghanistan
- Secretly deployed US special forces to 75 countries
- Sold $30 billion of weapons to the dictatorship in Saudi Arabia
- Signed an agreement for 7 military bases in Colombia
- Touted nuclear power, even after the disaster in Japan
- Opened up deepwater oil drilling, even after BP disaster
- Did a TV commercial promoting "clean coal"
- Defended body scans and pat-downs at airports
- Signed the Patriot Act extension into law
- Continued Bush's rendition program"
Note that the myopic sociopathic passive-aggressive idiot has adamantly refused, as he continues to do, for three years now, to address ANY substantive facts concerning the potus.
he claims to be an agnostic, but it is increasing evident that his lord and master is the lyingest sleaze-bag in modern times, which is unsurprising, as apisa is the king of OS sleaze.
One more time:
"Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his (obama) acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - "Roosevelt in the Kansas City Star", May 7, 1918
How prescient of Roosevelt to imagine a cretin like fRANK mr. base, servile, unpatriotic, and morally treasonable.
-R-
"Roosevelt in the Kansas City Star", May 7, 1918
Mark, how are you doing? Haven't seen you post in a while (no recent updates were showing on my blog)
Frank Apisa is, unfortunately, like most Americans these days. As long as they are OK, then they can't let facts get in the way of reality. When the economy totally collapses and some of our big inner cities explode into horrific violence, then he may get a clue, but by then it's too late.
I'm voting for Obama AGAIN, and there's not ONE republican that the RNC can scrounge up from under any rock to give him a decent run for the money.
RW…I am not avoiding facts—and may, in fact, be assessing such facts as exist with a bit less ideology than you.
America did not get to where it is right now because of what Obama has done or not done. We are here after almost 45 years of relentless CONSERVATIVE domination of our economy and politics. From the day LBJ left office, almost every facet of American life has had CONSERVATISM as the dominant drive…and it has lead us to where we are. Liberalism and progressivism virtually died in the mid-1960’s.
So…I advocate for lessening the influence of CONSERVATISM on the American political landscape as a means to finally break the cycle; and I see the re-election of Obama over the election of the eventual Republican nominee as the preferred move.
If you do not see that, RW, I respectfully suggest you are the one refusing to let the facts get in the way of reality.
But there is one thing we apparently do agree on. The only way people who are oblivious to the reality will ever wake up is when catastrophe occurs. The economy IS going to collapse, RW…and I am certain our big inner cities will explode into horrific violence. At that point, maybe the conservatives of this country will finally “get a clue”—because I expect that most of the anger will be directed at CONSERVATIVE excesses and shortsightedness.
Whether it will be “too late” or not…neither of us knows.
I might add, our choice of president will not do much more than delay the inevitable. Obama, Romney, Gingrich, Hillary…none will actually stop the slide. We need systemic change in the economic model to correct our dire predicament and we are not going to get that systemic change from a president.
The sad fact is, we probably won’t get it without that catastrophic collapse we both see looming.
There will be NO explosion. The US GDP continues to be around 14 trillion dollars. The borrowing costs are still tiny because, with serious problems in Europe and elsewhere, the Chinks and other investors see the US as a safe haven for investment. They are all demanding fiscal restraint, to get the long-term deficit under control, and the states, like California, etc. are already restraining severely, and the Federal gov. will be doing the same soon. Now, the pain this causes the working class, and the unemployed, will be mitigated with expanded Food stamp spending, and enough Medicaid to keep basic health care for everyone above the bottom 10% intact. Of course there will be no fancy drugs or expensive surgeries, like for the top 20%, but that shortcoming will never be enough to get sufficient numbers of people rioting continuously. Riots are always transient phenomena because rioters burn up their energy and determination quickly and will always be squashed, or controlled, by state security.
There will always be enough cops and security personnel, from private companies, to keep the lid on. They belong to the class in the 60% to 70% range of the income distribution. They will remain middle class and supporting the system. Where personnel shortages do occur, because of constrained budgets, there will be technology, as in robots, surveillance systems, UAVs over the cities, to step in and maintain order.
Don't forget the gigantic military apparatus the US has. If economic stagnation continues, then that apparatus will be down-sized to get more savings, which is already occurring, and the discharged personnel will go into domestic security. And don't count on those guys rioting or joining the ranks of the criminals. They are psychologically predisposed to maintaining order and so long as the food system, and basic health care and energy, transportation, etc. keeps functioning, order will be maintained.
I'd say the conservatives did not get back in the saddle until Reagan, though it depends on how you want to define conservative.
JP,we are going to have to agree to disagree. Looking at the facts as they are actually playing out, as opposed to how they play out on paper, there is no doubt that SHTF day is just around the corner. After the bloodbath, we will get our one world government.
I'd say the conservatives did not get back in the saddle until Reagan, though it depends on how you want to define conservative.
Well…I certainly consider Nixon to be a conservative (although today he would probably be considered to the left of moderate) and so was Ford. Carter was a Democrat as was Clinton…but both were former governors of solid RED states, Georgia and Arkansas.
Even if we just went back to 1980, though, conservatives have DOMINATED our politics and governance over 30 years—even when the Democrats had control of the Senate and/or the House. The proof of that pudding is in the fact that conservative politicians proudly proclaim their conservative credentials…argue over who is the most conservative; the most consistent conservative; the longest tenured conservative. Liberal politicians damn near hide from the word…it is the kiss of death in American politics.
With all the respect in the world, RW, where we are right now is a product of American conservatism. There is no getting away from that.
We will NEVER EVER again have enough decent paying jobs for everyone who needs and wants one…NO MATTER WHAT. We may get minor upticks…and we may create some jobs by taking care of our seriously damaged national infrastructure…BUT the ability of people to earn a living is at an end.
Our advanced technology has, in effect, imported billions upon billions of slaves into the marketplace…and they are going to do MOST of the jobs MOST humans can do. We will never deal with that problem without an uprising!
"- Signed the NDAA - an indefinite detention bill - into law
- Waged war on Libya without congressional approval
- Started a covert, drone war in Yemen
- Escalated the proxy war in Somalia
- Escalated the CIA drone war in Pakistan
- Will maintain a presence in Iraq even after "ending" war
- Sharply escalated the war in Afghanistan
- Secretly deployed US special forces to 75 countries
- Sold $30 billion of weapons to the dictatorship in Saudi Arabia
- Signed an agreement for 7 military bases in Colombia
- Touted nuclear power, even after the disaster in Japan
- Opened up deepwater oil drilling, even after BP disaster
- Did a TV commercial promoting "clean coal"
- Defended body scans and pat-downs at airports
- Signed the Patriot Act extension into law
- Continued Bush's rendition program"
Fugedaboutit.
apisa sh*t's definition of "a good and decent man."
he calls his blog: "MUSINGS FROM THE ICONOCLASM," but it would be more accurate to call it "confusion from the toilet bowl."
Day after day, the fool on the hill . . .
"Day after day,
Alone on a hill,
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him,
They can see that he's just a fool,
And he never gives an answer,"